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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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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. cue — a hint
  3. rest — what's left
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. capital — a city
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. capital — money
  8. shower — rain
  9. suit — to fit
  10. suit — in cards
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. rest — a break
  13. cue — a signal
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. rest — what's left
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. cue — for pool
  20. shower — to wash
  21. band — a ring
  22. suit — clothes
  23. band — a music group
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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