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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: spell · bay · chest · trunk · fall · charge · net · chip

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. net — after costs
  5. fall — to drop
  6. net — for catching
  7. charge — in control
  8. chest — of your body
  9. spell — a short time
  10. chip — to eat
  11. charge — electricity
  12. spell — letters
  13. fall — the season
  14. spell — magic
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. chest — of your body
  18. net — in sport
  19. fall — to drop
  20. chip — for betting
  21. charge — a price
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. chest — a box
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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