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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. capital — a city
  3. capital — money
  4. spell — a short time
  5. sharp — clever
  6. bulb — for light
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. spell — letters
  9. chip — for betting
  10. cell — in biology
  11. bulb — for light
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. rash — hasty
  15. chip — to eat
  16. cell — a phone
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. spell — magic
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. stand — to bear
  24. stand — for spectators

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