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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: chest · chip · bank · season · leaves · capital · jam · game

  1. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. chest — of your body
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. game — a match
  6. chip — for betting
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. capital — money
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. bank — for money
  12. game — wild animals
  13. chest — a box
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. bank — for money
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. bank — of a river
  18. chest — of your body
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. season — of the year
  21. capital — a city
  22. season — in sport
  23. chip — to eat
  24. jam — a tight spot

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