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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. capital — money
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. capital — a city
  7. staff — a stick
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. ground — crushed
  10. staff — employees
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. ground — the earth
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. ground — a position
  18. shower — to wash
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. staff — employees
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. shower — rain
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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