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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. capital — a city
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. capital — money
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. net — in sport
  7. vault — a safe
  8. net — after costs
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. lie — to recline
  16. bulb — for light
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. band — a ring
  19. stand — to bear
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. bulb — for light
  23. net — for catching
  24. stand — for spectators

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