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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. chip — for betting
  4. season — of the year
  5. last — finally
  6. ball — a great time
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. object — an aim
  9. last — to go on
  10. rest — a break
  11. last — final
  12. rest — what's left
  13. object — to protest
  14. mug — to rob
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. object — a thing
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. mug — a cup
  19. chip — to eat
  20. rest — what's left
  21. ball — a dance
  22. season — in sport
  23. mug — a face
  24. season — to add flavour

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