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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. chest — of your body
  3. chip — to eat
  4. rest — what's left
  5. rest — what's left
  6. rest — a break
  7. net — after costs
  8. club — for golf
  9. tear — to rip
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. tear — from crying
  12. net — for catching
  13. vault — a safe
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. club — for dancing
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. net — in sport
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. chip — for betting
  20. tear — from crying
  21. chest — of your body
  22. chest — a box
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. club — a group

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