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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. tube — a container
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. mark — a grade
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. mark — a trace
  9. pound — a weight
  10. bulb — for light
  11. tube — the underground
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. capital — money
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. snap — to click
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. toast — bread
  19. sharp — clever
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. capital — a city
  23. bulb — for light
  24. sharp — exactly

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