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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. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. track — to keep track
  3. track — a song
  4. capital — money
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. season — in sport
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. bulb — for light
  9. prune — to trim
  10. prune — to trim
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. season — of the year
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. fall — to drop
  15. bulb — for light
  16. capital — a city
  17. roll — a cake
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. track — a path
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. fall — to drop
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. fall — the season
  24. season — to add flavour

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