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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 116 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 had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. row — to paddle
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. tube — the underground
  10. fine — all right
  11. cell — in biology
  12. tube — a container
  13. fine — high quality
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. chip — for betting
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. chip — to eat
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. mine — for digging
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. row — a line
  24. cell — a phone

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