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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: bulb · swing · rule · sharp · cap · spell · court · pitcher

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. spell — a short time
  3. bulb — for light
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. sharp — clever
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. court — of a king
  9. swing — in golf
  10. spell — magic
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. spell — letters
  15. rule — a law
  16. swing — to play on
  17. rule — government
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. swing — music
  20. bulb — for light
  21. cap — a lid
  22. court — of law
  23. cap — a hat
  24. court — for sport

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