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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. present — there
  7. staff — employees
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. hand — in cards
  10. bulb — for light
  11. capital — a city
  12. present — the time now
  13. bulb — for light
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. pitch — completely
  16. tube — a container
  17. hand — help
  18. tube — the underground
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. capital — money
  23. staff — a stick
  24. staff — employees

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