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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. spring — of water
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. spring — the season
  15. net — for catching
  16. spring — a coil
  17. chip — for betting
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. net — after costs
  21. chip — to eat
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. pitcher — a jug

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