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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. capital — a city
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. net — for catching
  5. can — a tin
  6. net — in sport
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. tube — the underground
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. can — a tin
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. net — after costs
  17. mark — a trace
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. mark — a grade
  20. capital — money
  21. can — to be able to
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. cabinet — ministers

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