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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. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. pitch — completely
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. band — a ring
  6. capital — money
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. current — of water
  11. lie — to recline
  12. capital — a city
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. current — electric
  15. kick — in football
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. current — happening now
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. band — a music group
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. pitch — a sports field

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