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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.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. chip — to eat
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. march — music
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. rash — a series
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. march — the month
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. rash — hasty
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. rock — a stone
  16. rock — music
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. march — the month
  21. chip — for betting
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. bat — the animal
  24. fan — a supporter

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