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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 tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. capital — money
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. sharp — clever
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. pitch — completely
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. stem — to come from
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. capital — a city
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. rush — hurry
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. straw — a straw man

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