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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. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. tube — the underground
  3. club — for dancing
  4. bulb — for light
  5. capital — a city
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. tube — a container
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. fork — in a road
  10. foot — a measure
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. degree — temperature
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. degree — from a university
  15. degree — an amount
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. capital — money
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. club — a group
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. bulb — for light
  23. club — for golf
  24. fork — to eat with

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