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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 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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. ground — the earth
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. cap — of ice
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. ground — crushed
  9. capital — a city
  10. face — to point toward
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. ground — a position
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. cap — a lid
  15. face — to confront
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. face — part of the head
  18. bark — to shout
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. capital — money
  21. chair — a leader
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. cap — a hat

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