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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. ground — crushed
  3. swing — music
  4. bulb — for light
  5. capital — a city
  6. rock — music
  7. scale — size or range
  8. rock — a stone
  9. ground — a position
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. swing — to play on
  12. ground — the earth
  13. bulb — for light
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. swing — in golf
  17. rash — a series
  18. capital — money
  19. scale — in music
  20. can — a tin
  21. can — to be able to
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. can — a tin
  24. rash — on the skin

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