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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. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. bore — to drill
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. degree — from a university
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. board — a committee
  10. degree — temperature
  11. mark — a trace
  12. capital — money
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. board — to get on
  15. bore — to tire
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. capital — a city
  18. degree — an amount
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. foot — a measure
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. mark — a grade
  24. foot — part of the body

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