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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. cell — a phone
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. chip — to eat
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. cell — in biology
  10. roll — a list
  11. chip — for betting
  12. bound — tied together
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. mate — a partner
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. roll — a cake
  17. bound — obliged
  18. bound — certain
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. mate — to breed
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. mate — a friend

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