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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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. capital — money
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. charge — electricity
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. chest — of your body
  12. plane — a tool
  13. capital — a city
  14. chest — of your body
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. rush — hurry
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. charge — a price
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. charge — in control
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. dip — to sink
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. chest — a box

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