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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. fine — all right
  4. stand — to bear
  5. row — a line
  6. fine — high quality
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. snap — to click
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. bound — certain
  12. bulb — for light
  13. game — wild animals
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. capital — money
  17. row — to paddle
  18. bound — obliged
  19. bulb — for light
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. bound — tied together
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. capital — a city
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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