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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: jam · bulb · mate · capital · racket · rush · content · file

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. file — a document
  3. mate — to breed
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. content — happy
  7. bulb — for light
  8. capital — a city
  9. file — a tool
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. bulb — for light
  15. mate — a partner
  16. file — a line of people
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. rush — hurry
  20. capital — money
  21. mate — a friend
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. content — the amount
  24. jam — a tight spot

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