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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 tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. hand — help
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. court — of law
  5. staff — a stick
  6. staff — employees
  7. staff — employees
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. chip — to eat
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. court — of a king
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. scale — size or range
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. chip — for betting
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. bat — the animal
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. court — for sport
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. scale — in music
  24. hand — in cards

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