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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 116 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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. ball — a great time
  6. hand — in cards
  7. season — of the year
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. season — in sport
  11. hand — help
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. capital — a city
  14. swing — in golf
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. bulb — for light
  17. rush — hurry
  18. ball — a dance
  19. swing — to play on
  20. swing — music
  21. bore — to tire
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. bulb — for light
  24. bore — to drill

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