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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.

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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. bore — to tire
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. season — of the year
  5. bore — to drill
  6. chip — to eat
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. chair — a leader
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. chip — for betting
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. season — in sport
  16. capital — money
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. capital — a city

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