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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 potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. march — the month
  7. chip — for betting
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. hand — in cards
  11. march — the month
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. land — to come down
  17. march — music
  18. hand — help
  19. prune — to trim
  20. prune — to trim
  21. land — ground
  22. land — a country
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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