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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 beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. craft — a skill
  3. suit — to fit
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. capital — a city
  7. drill — army training
  8. fall — the season
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. suit — in cards
  15. craft — boats
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. suit — clothes
  18. drill — a practice
  19. capital — money
  20. fall — to drop
  21. fall — to drop
  22. drill — the tool
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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