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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. wound — an injury
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. capital — a city
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. kick — in football
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. present — a gift
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. key — for a lock
  14. key — the most important part
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. capital — money
  18. present — there
  19. pound — a weight
  20. wound — an injury
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. key — in music
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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