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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. band — a ring
  5. chip — for betting
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. tube — the underground
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. rest — what's left
  10. tube — a container
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. game — a match
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. chip — to eat
  16. pit — in a race
  17. game — wild animals
  18. pit — a hole
  19. rest — what's left
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. band — a music group
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. fork — in a road

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