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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 tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  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. trunk — of a tree
  2. content — the amount
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. cell — a phone
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. club — a group
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. capital — a city
  10. club — for dancing
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. race — humankind
  13. cell — in biology
  14. race — a contest
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. content — happy
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. board — to get on
  21. club — for golf
  22. board — a committee
  23. race — the arms race
  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