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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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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. ground — crushed
  3. swing — to play on
  4. capital — money
  5. mug — a cup
  6. race — a contest
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. mug — a face
  10. swing — music
  11. prune — to trim
  12. prune — to trim
  13. ground — the earth
  14. bound — tied together
  15. mug — to rob
  16. swing — in golf
  17. race — humankind
  18. capital — a city
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. bound — certain
  21. bound — obliged
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. ground — a position
  24. race — the arms race

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