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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. last — finally
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. capital — a city
  5. shower — rain
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. track — to keep track
  8. pit — a hole
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. last — final
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. track — a song
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. last — to go on
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. shower — to wash
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. capital — money
  21. pit — in a race
  22. bulb — for light
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. track — a path

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