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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: bowl · bat · bulb · foot · mark · capital · pit · leaves

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. capital — a city
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bulb — for light
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. mark — a grade
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. mark — a trace
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. capital — money
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. pit — in a race
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. bat — the animal
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. pit — a hole

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