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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.

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: capital · fan · trunk · cabinet · bass · hide · chip · fork

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  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. cabinet — ministers
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. chip — for betting
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. capital — a city
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. fork — in a road
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. bass — low music
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. bass — the fish
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. capital — money
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. chip — to eat
  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