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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. capital — money
  3. march — music
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. content — the amount
  6. bulb — for light
  7. content — happy
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. march — the month
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. march — the month
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. capital — a city
  16. pop — soda
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. pop — to visit
  19. pop — music
  20. bulb — for light
  21. rush — hurry
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. content — videos and posts

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