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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. saw — the tool
  6. roll — a cake
  7. rash — a series
  8. chip — for betting
  9. fine — all right
  10. capital — a city
  11. capital — money
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. season — in sport
  17. season — of the year
  18. rash — hasty
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. fine — high quality
  22. roll — a list
  23. chip — to eat
  24. trunk — of a tree

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