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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. capital — money
  3. season — of the year
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. perch — the fish
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. firm — decided
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. capital — a city
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. chip — to eat
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. firm — a company
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. firm — steady
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. chip — for betting
  24. season — in sport

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