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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. can — a tin
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. can — a tin
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. capital — money
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. bat — the animal
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. bulb — for light
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. capital — a city
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. can — to be able to
  23. date — the fruit
  24. bat — for baseball

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