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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 ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. pitch — completely
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. spring — of water
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. perch — the fish
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. ground — a position
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. ground — crushed
  12. capital — money
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. spring — a coil
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. capital — a city
  19. spring — the season
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. perch — for a bird

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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