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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 120 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 party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. net — for catching
  4. net — after costs
  5. capital — money
  6. spell — magic
  7. rash — hasty
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. march — music
  12. spell — a short time
  13. march — the month
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. tube — a container
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. spell — letters
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. tube — the underground
  21. net — in sport
  22. march — the month
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. capital — a city

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