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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: trunk · game · chip · face · charge · tear · capital · leaves

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. capital — money
  3. game — wild animals
  4. face — to point toward
  5. tear — from crying
  6. charge — electricity
  7. tear — from crying
  8. charge — in control
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. chip — to eat
  11. chip — for betting
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. tear — to rip
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. game — a match
  21. face — part of the head
  22. face — to confront
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. charge — a price

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