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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. capital — a city
  3. rash — a series
  4. rash — hasty
  5. bulb — for light
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. mark — a grade
  8. bass — the fish
  9. march — music
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. squash — to crush
  12. bulb — for light
  13. mark — a trace
  14. bat — the animal
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. squash — the sport
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. march — the month
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. bass — low music
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. march — the month

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