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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. False peace will not ________________.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. last — to go on
  3. object — a thing
  4. content — the amount
  5. bark — to shout
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. land — ground
  8. land — to come down
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. content — happy
  11. land — a country
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. object — to protest
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. chip — for betting
  16. last — finally
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. chip — to eat
  20. pitch — completely
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. last — final
  23. object — an aim
  24. trunk — of a tree

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