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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. pop — music
  4. mine — for digging
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. pop — soda
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. capital — a city
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. capital — money
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. mark — a grade
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wound — an injury
  21. mark — a trace
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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