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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. bulb — for light
  3. capital — a city
  4. mine — for digging
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. bulb — for light
  8. bass — the fish
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. bass — low music
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. march — the month
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. bore — to tire
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. bore — to drill
  19. capital — money
  20. sharp — clever
  21. march — music
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. march — the month
  24. bore — gave birth

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