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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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. club — for dancing
  4. kick — in football
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. last — final
  7. club — for golf
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. last — to go on
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. club — a group
  15. cap — a hat
  16. last — finally
  17. cap — a lid
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. cap — of ice
  22. snap — to click
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. bulb — for light

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