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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: race · mug · nail · trunk · cap · kick

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. mug — a face
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. cap — a hat
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. mug — a cup
  8. cap — of ice
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. race — a contest
  11. race — humankind
  12. cap — a lid
  13. kick — in football
  14. mug — to rob
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. race — the arms race
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. trunk — of an elephant

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