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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 116 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: club · ball · swing · pitcher · trunk · ground · dip · capital

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. ground — crushed
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. capital — a city
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. club — a group
  8. swing — to play on
  9. ground — the earth
  10. club — for golf
  11. ball — a dance
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. dip — to sink
  14. club — for dancing
  15. swing — music
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. swing — in golf
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. capital — money
  24. ball — a great time

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