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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 120 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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. bound — certain
  4. chip — for betting
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. suit — to fit
  7. chip — to eat
  8. bound — obliged
  9. chest — of your body
  10. drill — the tool
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. net — after costs
  13. net — in sport
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. chest — of your body
  16. cold — an illness
  17. bound — tied together
  18. drill — a practice
  19. chest — a box
  20. suit — clothes
  21. net — for catching
  22. cold — not warm
  23. drill — army training
  24. suit — in cards

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