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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 120 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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. bound — certain
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. net — for catching
  9. firm — a company
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. bound — obliged
  12. net — after costs
  13. bound — tied together
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. bulb — for light
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. net — in sport
  18. spring — a coil
  19. spring — the season
  20. firm — steady
  21. firm — decided
  22. capital — a city
  23. capital — money
  24. spring — of water

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