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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. capital — money
  3. season — in sport
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. saw — the tool
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. mark — a grade
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. saw — the tool
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. season — of the year
  13. bulb — for light
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. mark — a trace
  17. rule — a law
  18. capital — a city
  19. stock — goods
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. rule — government
  22. stock — shares
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. bulb — of a plant

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