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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: clip · fine · bowl · capital · stand · deal · season · bulb

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. fine — all right
  3. clip — to cut
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. capital — a city
  6. season — of the year
  7. deal — to handle
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. clip — for paper
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. fine — high quality
  12. capital — money
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. clip — a video
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. bulb — for light
  22. stand — to bear
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. bulb — for light

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