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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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. staff — employees
  4. cap — a hat
  5. cap — of ice
  6. degree — temperature
  7. degree — an amount
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. degree — from a university
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. charge — in control
  13. chair — a leader
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. charge — electricity
  17. kick — in football
  18. staff — a stick
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. charge — a price
  22. cap — a lid
  23. wind — moving air
  24. staff — employees

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