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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. cap — a hat
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. present — a gift
  6. chip — for betting
  7. file — a tool
  8. board — a committee
  9. field — farmland
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. board — to get on
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. file — a document
  16. field — a subject
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. file — a line of people
  19. cap — a lid
  20. present — there
  21. present — the time now
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. field — for sport
  24. cap — of ice

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