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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. court — of a king
  4. pit — a hole
  5. capital — money
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. pit — in a race
  10. pass — a permit
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. court — for sport
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. capital — a city
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. plane — a tool
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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