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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. capital — money
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. cap — of ice
  5. capital — a city
  6. foot — a measure
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. cap — a hat
  11. chair — a leader
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. hand — in cards
  14. can — to be able to
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. can — a tin
  17. hand — help
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. cap — a lid
  21. wax — to grow
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. can — a tin

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