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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: bound · pitcher · capital · suit · bulb · wind · racket · toast

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. wind — moving air
  5. capital — a city
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bound — obliged
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. bound — certain
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. wind — moving air
  14. capital — money
  15. bulb — for light
  16. suit — to fit
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. toast — bread
  19. bound — tied together
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. suit — clothes
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. suit — in cards

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