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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: bulb · capital · cabinet · hand · racket · clip · jam · bay

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. bulb — for light
  4. clip — a video
  5. hand — in cards
  6. capital — a city
  7. clip — for paper
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. clip — to cut
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. capital — money
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. racket — a loud noise

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