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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. chip — for betting
  3. vault — a safe
  4. mug — a cup
  5. season — of the year
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. cap — of ice
  8. mark — a trace
  9. season — in sport
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. file — a line of people
  13. cap — a lid
  14. chip — to eat
  15. cap — a hat
  16. file — a tool
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. mug — a face
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. mark — a grade
  22. mug — to rob
  23. file — a document
  24. season — to add flavour

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