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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  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. club — for dancing
  2. chest — of your body
  3. chest — a box
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. fall — the season
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. season — of the year
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. fork — in a road
  10. snap — to click
  11. club — for golf
  12. fall — to drop
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. chip — to eat
  15. fall — to drop
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. club — a group
  19. chest — of your body
  20. season — in sport
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. fork — a garden tool
  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