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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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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: nail · bulb · capital · chest · club · perch · jam · bowl

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. capital — money
  3. club — for golf
  4. chest — a box
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. capital — a city
  8. club — a group
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. bulb — for light
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. perch — the fish
  17. chest — of your body
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. chest — of your body
  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