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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. hand — in cards
  4. rash — a series
  5. stand — to bear
  6. fall — the season
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. fall — to drop
  9. chip — for betting
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. hand — help
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. cell — in biology
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. game — wild animals
  18. rash — hasty
  19. chip — to eat
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. game — a match
  22. fall — to drop
  23. cell — a phone
  24. trunk — of a tree

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