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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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  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. trunk — of an elephant
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. key — the most important part
  4. key — in music
  5. mine — for digging
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. key — for a lock
  9. spell — a short time
  10. spell — magic
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. rest — a break
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. chip — to eat
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. sharp — clever
  18. rest — what's left
  19. spell — letters
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. rest — what's left
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. jam — in traffic
  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