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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: pitcher · trunk · safe · bat · capital · pass · toast · stock

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. toast — bread
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. capital — money
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. stock — shares
  17. bat — the animal
  18. stock — goods
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. pass — a permit
  24. safe — out of danger

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