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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. capital — a city
  3. wound — an injury
  4. cap — of ice
  5. lean — thin
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. wound — an injury
  8. lean — to bend
  9. cap — a lid
  10. capital — money
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. court — of law
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. bulb — for light
  16. court — for sport
  17. court — of a king
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. march — the month
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. march — music
  22. march — the month
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. cap — a hat

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