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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. bulb — for light
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. cap — a hat
  6. cap — a lid
  7. bulb — for light
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. capital — money
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. cap — of ice
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. kick — in football
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. craft — boats
  17. shower — rain
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. capital — a city
  20. rush — hurry
  21. shower — to wash
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. craft — a skill

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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