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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. vault — a safe
  4. capital — money
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. mug — to rob
  7. pop — music
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. pop — soda
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. rash — a series
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. mug — a face
  16. bulb — for light
  17. mug — a cup
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. cold — not warm
  20. cold — an illness
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. bulb — for light
  23. rash — hasty
  24. capital — a city

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