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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: pass · court · stock · sharp · trunk · face · capital · bulb

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. stock — goods
  4. court — of law
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. bulb — for light
  7. court — of a king
  8. capital — a city
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. face — to confront
  14. bulb — for light
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. sharp — clever
  17. stock — shares
  18. face — part of the head
  19. court — for sport
  20. capital — money
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. pass — a permit
  23. face — to point toward
  24. bulb — of a plant

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