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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. tube — the underground
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. saw — the tool
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. toast — bread
  12. capital — a city
  13. court — of a king
  14. court — for sport
  15. saw — the tool
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. tube — a container
  19. bulb — for light
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. court — of law
  23. bat — the animal
  24. capital — money

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