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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 120 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 · can · last · chest · face · perch · calf · capital

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  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. can — a tin
  2. face — part of the head
  3. chest — of your body
  4. capital — money
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. last — final
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. chip — for betting
  9. perch — the fish
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. chest — a box
  12. can — to be able to
  13. chest — of your body
  14. capital — a city
  15. last — finally
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. can — a tin
  18. face — to confront
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. face — to point toward
  21. last — to go on
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. chip — to eat
  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