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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 tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. capital — money
  5. mark — a trace
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. track — a path
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. track — to keep track
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. game — a match
  16. plane — a tool
  17. capital — a city
  18. game — wild animals
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. dip — to sink
  21. mark — a grade
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. track — a song
  24. game — a kind of play

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