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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. chip — for betting
  3. spell — a short time
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. chip — to eat
  6. spell — magic
  7. cue — for pool
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. land — a country
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. foot — a measure
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. bore — to drill
  17. spell — letters
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. cue — a hint
  20. land — ground
  21. bore — to tire
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. land — to come down
  24. cue — a signal

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