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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 116 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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: key · craft · fan · calf · capital · last · chair · trunk

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. capital — money
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. last — finally
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. last — final
  8. capital — a city
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. craft — boats
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. chair — a leader
  18. last — to go on
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. craft — a skill
  21. key — in music
  22. key — for a lock
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. key — the most important part

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