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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. tube — a container
  4. bulb — for light
  5. cap — of ice
  6. bulb — for light
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. field — a subject
  9. squash — to crush
  10. ground — the earth
  11. chair — a leader
  12. cap — a lid
  13. ground — crushed
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. field — for sport
  17. ground — a position
  18. capital — a city
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. tube — the underground
  22. cap — a hat
  23. squash — the sport
  24. field — farmland

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