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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 beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. key — in music
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. vault — a safe
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. key — for a lock
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. key — the most important part
  14. capital — money
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. pitch — completely
  24. capital — a city

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