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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. capital — money
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. cue — a signal
  5. branch — a division
  6. vault — a safe
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. ball — a great time
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. capital — a city
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. cue — a hint
  15. cue — for pool
  16. ball — a dance
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. trunk — of a tree

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