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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. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. pitch — completely
  3. net — for catching
  4. ground — the earth
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. net — after costs
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. capital — a city
  9. game — a match
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. ground — a position
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. capital — money
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. net — in sport
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. game — wild animals
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. ground — crushed
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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