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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. capital — a city
  4. degree — from a university
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. firm — decided
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. bark — to shout
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. firm — steady
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. firm — a company
  16. degree — an amount
  17. chip — to eat
  18. court — of a king
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. degree — temperature
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. chip — for betting
  23. court — for sport
  24. court — of law

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