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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. fall — to drop
  3. capital — money
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. march — the month
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. bulb — for light
  9. fall — the season
  10. tube — the underground
  11. spell — letters
  12. tube — a container
  13. spell — magic
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. bulb — for light
  16. march — music
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. mark — a grade
  19. mark — a trace
  20. march — the month
  21. fall — to drop
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. spell — a short time

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