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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 players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. band — a ring
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. kid — child
  6. bulb — for light
  7. capital — a city
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. band — a music group
  10. current — of water
  11. current — electric
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. capital — money
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. bulb — for light
  16. current — happening now
  17. pitch — completely
  18. kid — to tease
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. content — the amount
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. content — happy
  24. ruler — for measuring

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