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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. chip — for betting
  3. mate — a friend
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. fine — high quality
  11. mate — a partner
  12. last — to go on
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. fine — all right
  15. pitch — completely
  16. chip — to eat
  17. mate — to breed
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. last — finally
  21. prune — to trim
  22. prune — to trim
  23. kick — in football
  24. trunk — of a car

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