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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bat — the animal
  9. chip — for betting
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. bass — the fish
  13. bass — low music
  14. spring — a coil
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. pit — a hole
  17. spring — the season
  18. capital — money
  19. capital — a city
  20. chip — to eat
  21. bear — the animal
  22. spring — of water
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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