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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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. capital — money
  3. can — a tin
  4. dip — to sink
  5. net — in sport
  6. spell — magic
  7. land — a country
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. spell — letters
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. mug — a cup
  13. net — for catching
  14. mug — to rob
  15. land — to come down
  16. capital — a city
  17. spell — a short time
  18. land — ground
  19. can — to be able to
  20. can — a tin
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. mug — a face
  23. net — after costs
  24. dip — a sauce

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