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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. capital — money
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. fine — high quality
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. pop — music
  11. current — electric
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. fine — all right
  16. pop — soda
  17. cell — a phone
  18. cell — in biology
  19. pop — to visit
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. current — happening now
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. chair — a leader
  24. current — of water

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