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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. file — a document
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. net — in sport
  9. cap — a hat
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. capital — a city
  12. cap — a lid
  13. bat — the animal
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. cap — of ice
  18. file — a line of people
  19. file — a tool
  20. net — after costs
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. net — for catching
  24. capital — money

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