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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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. cue — a hint
  4. club — for dancing
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. current — of water
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. chip — to eat
  9. club — for golf
  10. cold — not warm
  11. snap — to click
  12. chip — for betting
  13. cue — a signal
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. current — happening now
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. cue — for pool
  19. current — electric
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. cold — an illness
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. club — a group

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