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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 116 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. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. hand — help
  3. capital — a city
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. rock — a stone
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. hand — in cards
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. mug — a face
  16. capital — money
  17. mug — a cup
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. mug — to rob
  20. rock — music
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. bat — the animal

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