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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. chest — a box
  4. firm — a company
  5. bulb — for light
  6. fine — all right
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. chest — of your body
  9. firm — steady
  10. drill — army training
  11. drill — a practice
  12. firm — decided
  13. fine — high quality
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. drill — the tool
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. capital — money
  20. bulb — for light
  21. chest — of your body
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. temple — side of the head

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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