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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. capital — a city
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. clip — for paper
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. clip — to cut
  7. bulb — for light
  8. capital — money
  9. squash — the sport
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. chip — for betting
  13. key — in music
  14. bulb — for light
  15. key — the most important part
  16. key — for a lock
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. clip — a video
  19. deal — to handle
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. squash — to crush
  22. chip — to eat
  23. sharp — clever
  24. squash — the vegetable

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