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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. scale — size or range
  4. snap — to click
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. bulb — for light
  8. march — the month
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. bound — tied together
  11. bound — obliged
  12. bound — certain
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. capital — money
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. march — music
  17. fine — all right
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. fine — high quality
  21. bulb — for light
  22. march — the month
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. scale — in music

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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