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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. charge — a price
  4. craft — boats
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. cap — of ice
  7. cap — a hat
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. degree — temperature
  10. present — a gift
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. present — there
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. charge — in control
  16. degree — an amount
  17. degree — from a university
  18. present — the time now
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. wake — a trail
  21. cap — a lid
  22. craft — a skill
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. arm — a part of something

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