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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 120 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: face · capital · dip · pitcher · trunk · key · pit · staff

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. staff — a stick
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. key — the most important part
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. staff — employees
  9. face — to point toward
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. dip — to sink
  12. pit — in a race
  13. face — part of the head
  14. capital — a city
  15. capital — money
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. key — in music
  18. key — for a lock
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. pit — a hole
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. face — to confront
  24. staff — employees

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