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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.

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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. stand — to bear
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. cell — in biology
  6. cell — a phone
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. hand — help
  10. can — a tin
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. hand — in cards
  14. kid — child
  15. can — to be able to
  16. chip — for betting
  17. can — a tin
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. kid — to tease
  21. chip — to eat
  22. sharp — clever
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. stand — for spectators

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