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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. cap — of ice
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. cap — a hat
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. chip — to eat
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. chip — for betting
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. season — in sport
  15. cap — a lid
  16. land — ground
  17. land — to come down
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. land — a country
  21. kick — in football
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. season — of the year

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