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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 · ground · trunk · pit · arm · current · last · capital

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. current — electric
  3. lie — to recline
  4. ground — the earth
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. last — to go on
  7. last — finally
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. capital — a city
  11. current — happening now
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. ground — crushed
  14. pit — in a race
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. last — final
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. pit — a hole
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. capital — money
  23. current — of water
  24. ground — a position

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