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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. court — of a king
  4. mug — a cup
  5. present — there
  6. capital — a city
  7. spring — the season
  8. mug — a face
  9. capital — money
  10. court — of law
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. pitch — completely
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. mug — to rob
  16. present — a gift
  17. spring — a coil
  18. court — for sport
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. spring — of water
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. lash — to lash out

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