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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 120 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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. season — of the year
  7. lean — to bend
  8. ground — a position
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. capital — a city
  11. lean — thin
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. ground — crushed
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. ground — the earth
  21. rule — government
  22. rule — a law
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. season — in sport

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