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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: chip · chest · craft · trunk · club · capital · jam · lie

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. club — for golf
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. club — for dancing
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. chip — for betting
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. chip — to eat
  9. capital — money
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. craft — boats
  13. chest — of your body
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. lie — to recline
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. chest — of your body
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. capital — a city
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. club — a group
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. craft — a skill
  24. trunk — of a tree

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