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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. capital — a city
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. object — an aim
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. dip — to sink
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. bulb — for light
  9. object — to protest
  10. capital — money
  11. scale — size or range
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. date — the fruit
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. wound — an injury
  21. scale — in music
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. object — a thing
  24. bulb — for light

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