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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. tube — a container
  4. deal — to handle
  5. capital — a city
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. capital — money
  8. vault — a safe
  9. last — finally
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. chair — a leader
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. bulb — for light
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. tube — the underground
  21. last — final
  22. last — to go on
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. bulb — for light

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