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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 116 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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. capital — money
  5. bank — for money
  6. club — for dancing
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. club — for golf
  9. capital — a city
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. race — a contest
  12. race — humankind
  13. cold — not warm
  14. race — the arms race
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. bank — for money
  17. cold — an illness
  18. bank — of a river
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. bulb — for light
  23. club — a group
  24. fork — in a road

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