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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. band — a music group
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. cap — of ice
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. race — humankind
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. bulb — for light
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. game — wild animals
  12. race — the arms race
  13. mine — for digging
  14. bulb — for light
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. race — a contest
  17. cap — a hat
  18. capital — a city
  19. cap — a lid
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. band — a ring
  24. game — a match

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com