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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. bat — the animal
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. staff — a stick
  9. bark — to shout
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. staff — employees
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. capital — money
  17. capital — a city
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. staff — employees
  21. chip — for betting
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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