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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. net — after costs
  3. capital — a city
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. suit — to fit
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. capital — money
  9. present — a gift
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. net — in sport
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. suit — in cards
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. spell — a short time
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. present — the time now
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. spell — magic
  22. suit — clothes
  23. present — there
  24. net — for catching

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