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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: foot · trunk · rest · pit · lash · bound · capital · ball

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. pit — a hole
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. ball — a great time
  6. rest — what's left
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. pit — in a race
  10. bound — certain
  11. rest — a break
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. bound — obliged
  14. ball — a dance
  15. rest — what's left
  16. bound — tied together
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. foot — a measure
  19. capital — a city
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. capital — money
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. ball — a round shape

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