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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: land · trunk · chip · cap · ball · craft · file · pitch

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. craft — boats
  5. land — ground
  6. craft — a skill
  7. file — a tool
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. file — a document
  10. ball — a great time
  11. pitch — completely
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. ball — a dance
  16. cap — of ice
  17. land — to come down
  18. cap — a lid
  19. chip — for betting
  20. file — a line of people
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. land — a country
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. chip — to eat

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