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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 had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. present — a gift
  7. spring — of water
  8. spring — the season
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. kid — to tease
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. present — there
  17. spring — a coil
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. chip — to eat
  20. rush — hurry
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. present — the time now
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. chip — for betting

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