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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. cap — a lid
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. prune — to trim
  6. cap — a hat
  7. current — electric
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. capital — a city
  15. prune — to trim
  16. cap — of ice
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. current — happening now
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. current — of water
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. racket — for tennis

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