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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. capital — a city
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. pop — soda
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. pop — to visit
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. capital — money
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. present — a gift
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. present — the time now
  16. sharp — clever
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. vault — a safe
  22. present — there
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. pitch — completely

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