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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. bark — to shout
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. chip — for betting
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. kick — in football
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. lean — to bend
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. lean — thin
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. bat — the animal
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. chip — to eat

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