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

Word bank: date · trunk · rule · kid · mug · present · capital · board

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. date — the fruit
  3. capital — money
  4. board — to get on
  5. rule — government
  6. mug — a cup
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. capital — a city
  9. mug — a face
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. kid — child
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. kid — to tease
  15. mug — to rob
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. present — the time now
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. rule — a law
  21. present — a gift
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. board — a committee

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