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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. track — a path
  3. court — of law
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. stock — shares
  6. court — for sport
  7. track — to keep track
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. bass — the fish
  13. capital — a city
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. court — of a king
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. track — a song
  20. bass — low music
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. stock — goods
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. bass — the instrument

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