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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. club — a group
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. lean — thin
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. club — for golf
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. land — to come down
  13. capital — a city
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. lean — to bend
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. land — a country
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. capital — money
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. snap — to click
  22. club — for dancing
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. arm — a part of something

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