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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 116 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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. fall — the season
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. capital — a city
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. fork — in a road
  8. spell — letters
  9. fall — to drop
  10. pop — music
  11. capital — money
  12. bound — certain
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. spell — magic
  17. pop — soda
  18. fall — to drop
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pop — to visit
  21. bound — obliged
  22. spell — a short time
  23. bound — tied together
  24. bulb — for light

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