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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've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. plane — a tool
  3. stock — goods
  4. capital — a city
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. pop — to visit
  10. stock — shares
  11. court — of a king
  12. pop — music
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. bulb — for light
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. court — of law
  19. court — for sport
  20. pop — soda
  21. capital — money
  22. bulb — for light
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. calf — a young animal

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