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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. fall — to drop
  3. fall — to drop
  4. mug — a face
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. pass — a permit
  10. foot — a measure
  11. can — to be able to
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. mug — a cup
  14. can — a tin
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. capital — a city
  19. mug — to rob
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. capital — money
  22. kick — in football
  23. fall — the season
  24. trunk — of a tree

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