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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. bulb — for light
  10. fine — all right
  11. fine — high quality
  12. bulb — for light
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. pitch — completely
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. capital — a city
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. bulb — of a plant

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