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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. suit — in cards
  4. ground — the earth
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. capital — money
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. pit — in a race
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. hand — help
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. capital — a city
  17. hand — in cards
  18. toast — bread
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. suit — clothes
  21. pit — a hole
  22. suit — to fit
  23. ground — a position
  24. hand — part of the body

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