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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: sharp · capital · rule · swing · ball · mug · chest · bulb

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. rule — a law
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. chest — a box
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. swing — to play on
  7. ball — a great time
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. swing — in golf
  10. sharp — clever
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. mug — a cup
  13. bulb — for light
  14. rule — government
  15. mug — a face
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. ball — a dance
  18. chest — of your body
  19. mug — to rob
  20. chest — of your body
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. swing — music
  23. capital — a city
  24. capital — money

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