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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. mate — a partner
  3. present — the time now
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. bulb — for light
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. capital — money
  9. present — there
  10. present — a gift
  11. bulb — for light
  12. can — to be able to
  13. mate — to breed
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. ground — crushed
  17. mate — a friend
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. bore — to tire
  20. ground — a position
  21. ground — the earth
  22. can — a tin
  23. can — a tin
  24. bore — to drill

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