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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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. spring — a coil
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. net — for catching
  8. capital — a city
  9. stand — to bear
  10. plane — a tool
  11. net — in sport
  12. spring — of water
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. net — after costs
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. spring — the season
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. ball — a great time
  22. capital — money
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. ball — a dance

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