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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 120 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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. land — ground
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. foot — a measure
  5. chip — to eat
  6. fall — to drop
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. land — a country
  11. fall — the season
  12. fall — to drop
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. land — to come down
  15. mate — to breed
  16. capital — a city
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. mate — a friend
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. chip — for betting
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. mate — a partner
  24. foot — part of the body

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