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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: capital · ball · cold · current · trunk · suit · rock · pitch

  1. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. ball — a great time
  4. capital — money
  5. cold — an illness
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. current — electric
  8. capital — a city
  9. cold — not warm
  10. ball — a dance
  11. rock — music
  12. suit — clothes
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. pitch — completely
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. suit — to fit
  18. suit — in cards
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. current — happening now
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. current — of water

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