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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. capital — a city
  3. bulb — for light
  4. season — of the year
  5. rest — what's left
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. rest — a break
  9. capital — money
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. season — in sport
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. land — ground
  14. land — to come down
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. rest — what's left
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. bulb — for light
  23. sharp — clever
  24. land — a country

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