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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 116 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 beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. saw — the tool
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. season — in sport
  5. season — of the year
  6. mate — a partner
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. bulb — for light
  9. saw — the tool
  10. bank — for money
  11. mate — a friend
  12. capital — money
  13. staff — employees
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. mate — to breed
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. staff — employees
  18. bank — for money
  19. staff — a stick
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. capital — a city
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bank — of a river
  24. fan — a supporter

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