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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 120 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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. band — a ring
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. hand — in cards
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. capital — money
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. band — a music group
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. key — in music
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. key — for a lock
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. key — the most important part
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. capital — a city
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. hand — help
  24. deal — to handle

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