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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: mug · trunk · squash · capital · file · board · present · ground

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. file — a document
  3. mug — a face
  4. present — there
  5. capital — a city
  6. squash — the sport
  7. capital — money
  8. file — a line of people
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. mug — a cup
  11. squash — to crush
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. ground — crushed
  14. board — a committee
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. present — the time now
  17. ground — the earth
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. file — a tool
  21. mug — to rob
  22. present — a gift
  23. ground — a position
  24. board — to get on

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