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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. chip — for betting
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. kick — in football
  8. dip — to sink
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. fall — to drop
  11. rush — hurry
  12. chip — to eat
  13. fall — the season
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. fall — to drop
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. wind — moving air
  20. wind — moving air
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. rush — to hurry

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