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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. ball — a dance
  7. bulb — for light
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. ball — a great time
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. capital — a city
  12. capital — money
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. fine — high quality
  15. hand — in cards
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. bulb — for light
  18. fine — all right
  19. hand — help
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. row — to paddle
  24. dip — to sink

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