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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. capital — money
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. cell — in biology
  5. cell — a phone
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. drill — army training
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. drill — a practice
  10. ground — crushed
  11. bulb — for light
  12. suit — to fit
  13. suit — in cards
  14. capital — a city
  15. ground — a position
  16. plane — a tool
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. ground — the earth
  23. suit — clothes
  24. drill — the tool

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