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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. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. file — a line of people
  5. cap — a hat
  6. race — humankind
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. cap — a lid
  9. chair — a leader
  10. race — the arms race
  11. file — a tool
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. cell — in biology
  18. cap — of ice
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. file — a document
  22. race — a contest
  23. cell — a phone
  24. trunk — of a tree

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