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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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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: craft · rest · face · kick · game · club · trunk · capital

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. club — for dancing
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. rest — what's left
  8. face — to point toward
  9. face — part of the head
  10. rest — what's left
  11. kick — in football
  12. craft — a skill
  13. game — a match
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. face — to confront
  17. capital — money
  18. capital — a city
  19. club — for golf
  20. craft — boats
  21. club — a group
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. rest — a break
  24. game — wild animals

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