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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. chip — for betting
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. key — the most important part
  6. file — a line of people
  7. key — in music
  8. rest — what's left
  9. key — for a lock
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. race — humankind
  12. chip — to eat
  13. rest — a break
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. deal — to handle
  16. race — a contest
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. file — a tool
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. file — a document
  23. fork — in a road
  24. race — the arms race

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