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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. capital — a city
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. spring — of water
  11. squash — the sport
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. spring — the season
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. spring — a coil
  17. capital — money
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. stock — goods
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. kick — in football
  22. squash — to crush
  23. stock — shares
  24. squash — the vegetable

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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