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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. spell — magic
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. pop — to visit
  5. bulb — for light
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. sharp — clever
  8. band — a ring
  9. spell — a short time
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. spell — letters
  14. pop — soda
  15. chip — for betting
  16. band — a music group
  17. chip — to eat
  18. bulb — for light
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. capital — money
  21. capital — a city
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. capital — a big letter

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