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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. kick — in football
  3. bore — to tire
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. capital — money
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bore — to drill
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. cell — in biology
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. capital — a city
  14. rest — what's left
  15. cell — a phone
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. rest — a break
  19. bulb — for light
  20. rest — what's left
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. bore — gave birth

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