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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: straw · bowl · trunk · cabinet · bay · chip · capital · mark

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. mark — a trace
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. mark — a grade
  12. capital — money
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. chip — to eat
  16. capital — a city
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. chip — for betting
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. cabinet — ministers

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