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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 120 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: fine · tear · racket · bulb · cue · capital · bat · foot

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. bat — the animal
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. fine — high quality
  7. cue — for pool
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. cue — a hint
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bulb — for light
  12. tear — from crying
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. capital — money
  16. cue — a signal
  17. foot — a measure
  18. tear — to rip
  19. tear — from crying
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. fine — all right
  24. bulb — of a plant

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