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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: bulb · squash · ball · lean · court · capital · lie · dip

  1. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. capital — money
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. bulb — for light
  9. ball — a dance
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. court — of a king
  12. capital — a city
  13. lie — to recline
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. squash — the sport
  16. bulb — for light
  17. ball — a great time
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. lean — to bend
  21. court — for sport
  22. lean — thin
  23. court — of law
  24. squash — to crush

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