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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. plane — a tool
  5. ball — a great time
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. rest — a break
  8. season — in sport
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. rest — what's left
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. capital — money
  16. season — of the year
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. ball — a dance
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. capital — a city
  21. ground — the earth
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. ground — crushed
  24. ground — a position

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