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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. cold — an illness
  5. cold — not warm
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. file — a document
  10. chip — for betting
  11. file — a line of people
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. tube — the underground
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. chip — to eat
  21. tube — a container
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. file — a tool
  24. sharp — clever

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