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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 120 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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. capital — money
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. capital — a city
  9. bulb — for light
  10. mine — for digging
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. deal — to handle
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. rash — hasty
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. bulb — for light
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. rash — a series
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. snap — to click
  24. mine — belonging to me

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