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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. hand — in cards
  3. charge — a price
  4. bulb — for light
  5. rest — a break
  6. ball — a dance
  7. bulb — for light
  8. bat — the animal
  9. capital — a city
  10. hand — help
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. capital — money
  13. last — to go on
  14. rest — what's left
  15. rest — what's left
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. last — final
  18. ball — a great time
  19. charge — in control
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. last — finally
  24. charge — electricity

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