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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: capital · degree · kick · snap · saw · trunk · bore · toast

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. capital — a city
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. saw — the tool
  7. toast — bread
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. saw — the tool
  12. degree — an amount
  13. bore — to drill
  14. bore — to tire
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. degree — from a university
  17. capital — money
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. kick — in football
  20. degree — temperature
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. snap — to click

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