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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.

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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: row · mark · bulb · tear · capital · bay · pitch · land

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. row — a line
  3. tear — to rip
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. land — ground
  8. tear — from crying
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. mark — a grade
  11. bulb — for light
  12. capital — money
  13. land — to come down
  14. tear — from crying
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. land — a country
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. row — to paddle
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. bulb — for light
  23. pitch — completely
  24. capital — a city

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