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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: lie · trunk · pit · capital · board · game · bark · shower

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. bark — to shout
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. shower — to wash
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. capital — a city
  9. pit — a hole
  10. board — to get on
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. shower — rain
  14. board — a committee
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. lie — to recline
  20. game — a match
  21. game — wild animals
  22. pit — in a race
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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