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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'll be taking the ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. chip — for betting
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. row — a line
  7. row — to paddle
  8. chip — to eat
  9. degree — from a university
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. vault — a safe
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. rash — a series
  15. degree — an amount
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. tube — a container
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. rash — hasty
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. degree — temperature
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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