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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. fall — to drop
  3. bulb — for light
  4. season — of the year
  5. fall — the season
  6. capital — money
  7. bulb — for light
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. capital — a city
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. fall — to drop
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. date — the fruit
  20. snap — to click
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. season — in sport
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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