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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. last — finally
  3. capital — money
  4. bulb — for light
  5. club — for dancing
  6. pass — a permit
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. capital — a city
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. last — final
  13. last — to go on
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. squash — the sport
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. squash — to crush
  18. bulb — for light
  19. stem — to come from
  20. club — for golf
  21. deal — to handle
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. club — a group
  24. pass — to succeed

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