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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 · straw · rash · game · hide · capital · court · track

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. track — to keep track
  5. capital — money
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bulb — for light
  8. rash — a series
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. track — a path
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. court — of law
  14. capital — a city
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. game — a match
  17. game — wild animals
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. court — for sport
  22. rash — hasty
  23. court — of a king
  24. track — a song

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