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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. capital — money
  5. rock — a stone
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. chair — a leader
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. clip — for paper
  16. clip — a video
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. clip — to cut
  19. rush — hurry
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. rock — music
  22. capital — a city
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. trunk — of a tree

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