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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. face — to point toward
  3. game — wild animals
  4. capital — a city
  5. mate — a friend
  6. mate — to breed
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. face — part of the head
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. mate — a partner
  15. rash — a series
  16. face — to confront
  17. rash — hasty
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. perch — the fish
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. game — a match
  22. capital — money
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. bulb — for light

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