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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: deal · season · bulb · capital · press · pit · pop · cabinet

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. season — of the year
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. capital — money
  6. pop — soda
  7. pit — in a race
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. press — to push
  10. pop — music
  11. pop — to visit
  12. bulb — for light
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. capital — a city
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. pit — a hole
  18. season — in sport
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. press — newspapers
  22. deal — to handle
  23. press — a publisher
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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