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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. bound — certain
  4. tear — from crying
  5. capital — money
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. can — a tin
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bound — tied together
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. can — a tin
  13. mate — a partner
  14. land — ground
  15. bound — obliged
  16. mate — a friend
  17. tear — from crying
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. can — to be able to
  20. capital — a city
  21. land — to come down
  22. land — a country
  23. mate — to breed
  24. tear — to rip

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