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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 elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. capital — money
  4. chip — to eat
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. chip — for betting
  7. capital — a city
  8. club — a group
  9. pitch — completely
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. tear — to rip
  13. club — for golf
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. tear — from crying
  17. current — happening now
  18. tear — from crying
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bulb — for light
  21. club — for dancing
  22. current — electric
  23. current — of water
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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