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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: pop · bowl · bulb · roll · capital · cold · straw · toast

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. cold — not warm
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. roll — a list
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. pop — soda
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. pop — music
  14. capital — money
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. cold — an illness
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. toast — bread
  20. roll — a cake
  21. pop — to visit
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. capital — a city

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