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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 beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. dip — to sink
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. cue — for pool
  8. rock — music
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. cue — a signal
  11. capital — money
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. pass — a permit
  14. capital — a city
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. cue — a hint
  19. bark — to shout
  20. season — in sport
  21. season — of the year
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. rock — a stone
  24. bark — of a tree

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