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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. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. bass — the fish
  3. last — to go on
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bass — low music
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. chest — of your body
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. capital — a city
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. bulb — for light
  13. chest — a box
  14. plane — a tool
  15. pitch — completely
  16. chest — of your body
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. capital — money
  19. last — final
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. last — finally
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. capital — a big letter

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