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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 elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. cap — a lid
  6. staff — employees
  7. cap — of ice
  8. staff — employees
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. can — to be able to
  15. can — a tin
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. chair — a leader
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. kick — in football
  20. staff — a stick
  21. can — a tin
  22. cap — a hat
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. chair — a professorship

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