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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.

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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 · season · rule · firm · pitch · capital · rock · snap

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. season — in sport
  3. capital — a city
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. rule — government
  9. season — of the year
  10. rock — a stone
  11. firm — steady
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. firm — decided
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. snap — to click
  16. rule — a law
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. firm — a company
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. pitch — completely
  23. capital — money
  24. pitch — a sports field

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