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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. field — for sport
  3. mark — a grade
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. mug — to rob
  9. rule — a law
  10. rule — government
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. mug — a face
  14. capital — a city
  15. capital — money
  16. chair — a leader
  17. mug — a cup
  18. field — farmland
  19. hand — help
  20. mark — a trace
  21. field — a subject
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. hand — in cards

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