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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 light ________________ burned out.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. capital — a city
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. pop — soda
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. plane — a tool
  9. pop — to visit
  10. saw — the tool
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. bulb — for light
  15. saw — the tool
  16. perch — the fish
  17. capital — money
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. bat — the animal
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. pop — music

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