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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  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 big letter
  2. pop — soda
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. cue — a hint
  5. pop — to visit
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. capital — money
  8. scale — size or range
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bulb — for light
  12. file — a document
  13. file — a tool
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. capital — a city
  16. cue — for pool
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. pop — music
  21. file — a line of people
  22. cue — a signal
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. scale — in 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