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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. bound — obliged
  3. kick — in football
  4. bound — tied together
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. shower — to wash
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. bound — certain
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. key — the most important part
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. key — in music
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. capital — a city
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. key — for a lock
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. wax — to grow
  24. shower — rain

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