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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bowl · capital · kick · pass · fan · leaves · game · bulb

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. bulb — for light
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. game — a match
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. kick — in football
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. bulb — for light
  15. capital — money
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. game — wild animals
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. pass — a permit

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