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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 116 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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. suit — clothes
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. drill — army training
  7. capital — a city
  8. drill — the tool
  9. wound — an injury
  10. pass — a permit
  11. root — of a plant
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. march — music
  14. root — of a word
  15. march — the month
  16. capital — money
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. suit — in cards
  19. wound — an injury
  20. drill — a practice
  21. suit — to fit
  22. root — the cause
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. march — the month

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