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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: spell · calf · wave · chip · land · capital · face · chair

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. chip — to eat
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. spell — a short time
  5. face — to point toward
  6. chip — for betting
  7. spell — letters
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. land — ground
  12. spell — magic
  13. land — to come down
  14. capital — a city
  15. face — part of the head
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. face — to confront
  18. chair — a leader
  19. land — a country
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. capital — money

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