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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. game — wild animals
  3. swing — music
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. stock — goods
  6. plane — a tool
  7. rule — government
  8. capital — money
  9. game — a match
  10. rule — a law
  11. swing — in golf
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. season — in sport
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. capital — a city
  18. season — of the year
  19. swing — to play on
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. stock — shares
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. stock — a soup base

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