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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. land — ground
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. bulb — for light
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. spring — a coil
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. capital — money
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. land — a country
  13. bulb — for light
  14. spring — the season
  15. capital — a city
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. land — to come down
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. spring — of water
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. pitch — completely
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. pitch — a sports field

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