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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: capital · bat · bulb · mate · fan · pit · wake · chair

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. pit — in a race
  4. mate — a partner
  5. pit — a hole
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. capital — money
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. capital — a city
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. mate — to breed
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. chair — a leader
  17. bulb — for light
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. bulb — for light
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. bat — the animal
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. wake — a trail

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