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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. pop — soda
  3. pop — to visit
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. capital — a city
  11. bound — obliged
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. dip — to sink
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. bound — tied together
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. capital — money
  18. bound — certain
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. mine — for digging
  23. pop — music
  24. pitch — completely

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