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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 120 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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. cell — a phone
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. row — a line
  10. row — to paddle
  11. march — the month
  12. cell — in biology
  13. ball — a dance
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. march — music
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. march — the month
  19. chip — for betting
  20. dip — to sink
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. ball — a great time
  23. chip — to eat
  24. dip — to dunk

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