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

Word bank: trunk · clip · vault · board · cold · charge · wake · chip

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. charge — in control
  3. charge — electricity
  4. charge — a price
  5. wake — a trail
  6. board — to get on
  7. cold — an illness
  8. clip — for paper
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. cold — not warm
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. chip — for betting
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. board — a committee
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. clip — a video
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. clip — to cut
  21. vault — a safe
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. chip — to eat
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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