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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. capital — money
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. band — a ring
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. fine — high quality
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. fine — all right
  14. charge — electricity
  15. band — a music group
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. charge — a price
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. pitch — completely
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. charge — in control
  22. capital — a city
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. trunk — of a car

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