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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 120 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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. saw — the tool
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. bass — low music
  7. content — happy
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. content — the amount
  11. saw — the tool
  12. capital — a city
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. bulb — for light
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. bass — the fish
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. band — a music group
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. band — a ring
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. content — videos and posts
  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