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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: trunk · stick · drill · capital · hide · pitch · foot · current

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. capital — a city
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. drill — army training
  11. drill — a practice
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. drill — the tool
  15. current — of water
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. foot — a measure
  18. capital — money
  19. current — electric
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. current — happening now
  24. pitch — completely

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