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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. lean — thin
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. chip — for betting
  9. capital — money
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. chip — to eat
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. track — a song
  16. track — to keep track
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. capital — a city
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. lean — to bend
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. track — a path
  24. lean — to rest against

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