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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. mug — a cup
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. dip — to sink
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. bass — the fish
  8. prune — to trim
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. pass — a permit
  12. prune — to trim
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. capital — a city
  15. capital — money
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. bass — low music
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. pitch — completely
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. mug — to rob

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