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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. present — a gift
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. capital — money
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. present — the time now
  18. pound — a weight
  19. present — there
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. pound — for dogs

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