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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. race — a contest
  3. mate — a friend
  4. rest — what's left
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. mate — a partner
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. chip — for betting
  9. chip — to eat
  10. race — humankind
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. rest — a break
  13. mine — for digging
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. mate — to breed
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. chest — a box
  19. chest — of your body
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. rest — what's left
  22. race — the arms race
  23. chest — of your body
  24. snap — to click

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