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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 116 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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. deal — to handle
  3. sharp — clever
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. bass — the fish
  6. land — ground
  7. season — in sport
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. land — to come down
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. land — a country
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. season — of the year
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. capital — money
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. bass — low music
  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