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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: capital · saw · chip · spell · trunk · pop · sharp · chair

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. saw — the tool
  3. pop — soda
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. saw — the tool
  6. pop — to visit
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. pop — music
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. capital — a city
  11. chip — for betting
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. chip — to eat
  14. spell — a short time
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. capital — money
  20. spell — magic
  21. sharp — clever
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. chair — a leader
  24. capital — a big letter

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