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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: trunk · pitcher · key · land · spell · cap · chip · kid

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. spell — letters
  4. chip — to eat
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. kid — child
  10. cap — of ice
  11. kid — to tease
  12. cap — a lid
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. key — the most important part
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. chip — for betting
  17. land — to come down
  18. land — ground
  19. land — a country
  20. spell — magic
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. spell — a short time
  23. key — in music
  24. key — for a lock

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