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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. file — a line of people
  4. bass — the fish
  5. cap — a lid
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. cap — of ice
  11. capital — money
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. file — a document
  16. capital — a city
  17. bass — low music
  18. wake — a trail
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. cap — a hat
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. file — a tool

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