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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: deal · trunk · roll · mouse · pop · present · capital · ball

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. pop — to visit
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. capital — a city
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. ball — a great time
  12. pop — music
  13. pop — soda
  14. roll — a cake
  15. ball — a dance
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. roll — a list
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. deal — to handle
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. present — there
  22. capital — money
  23. present — the time now
  24. present — a gift

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