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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. capital — a city
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. cap — a hat
  8. cap — a lid
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. fine — high quality
  12. game — a match
  13. bulb — for light
  14. game — wild animals
  15. cap — of ice
  16. capital — money
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. fine — all right
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. bulb — for light
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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