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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. bulb — for light
  4. track — a song
  5. cue — a signal
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. bulb — for light
  8. track — to keep track
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. cue — a hint
  11. cue — for pool
  12. kid — child
  13. band — a ring
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. track — a path
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. rash — hasty
  18. band — a music group
  19. toast — bread
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. capital — money
  22. rash — a series
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. kid — to tease

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