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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: bore · bulb · roll · sharp · cap · fall · swing · capital

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. bore — to tire
  4. sharp — clever
  5. roll — a list
  6. cap — a hat
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. roll — a cake
  10. swing — to play on
  11. capital — a city
  12. fall — to drop
  13. capital — money
  14. swing — music
  15. cap — of ice
  16. cap — a lid
  17. fall — the season
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. bore — to drill
  21. bulb — for light
  22. fall — to drop
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. roll — on a roll

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