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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 120 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 hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. pound — a weight
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. capital — a city
  10. ball — a dance
  11. pop — music
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. capital — money
  14. pop — soda
  15. land — ground
  16. bulb — for light
  17. ball — a great time
  18. pop — to visit
  19. land — to come down
  20. land — a country
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. bulb — for light
  24. mark — a grade

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