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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 120 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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. bound — certain
  3. bound — tied together
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. fall — the season
  6. wound — an injury
  7. chip — for betting
  8. capital — money
  9. chip — to eat
  10. pit — in a race
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. bound — obliged
  17. pit — a hole
  18. fall — to drop
  19. wound — an injury
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. capital — a city
  24. capital — a big letter

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