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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 120 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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. degree — from a university
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. bass — low music
  7. object — a thing
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. pit — in a race
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. pit — a hole
  13. object — an aim
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. capital — money
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. degree — temperature
  19. dip — to sink
  20. bass — the fish
  21. object — to protest
  22. degree — an amount
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. pitch — completely

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