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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 had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. rest — a break
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. cold — not warm
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. chip — for betting
  10. rest — what's left
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. mine — for digging
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. bore — to drill
  18. rest — what's left
  19. content — happy
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. content — the amount
  22. chip — to eat
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. bore — to tire

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