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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. pop — music
  3. capital — a city
  4. pop — to visit
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. capital — money
  7. bulb — for light
  8. can — a tin
  9. can — a tin
  10. cell — a phone
  11. ground — a position
  12. ground — crushed
  13. rush — hurry
  14. ground — the earth
  15. bulb — for light
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. cell — in biology
  18. pop — soda
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. perch — the fish
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. can — to be able to

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