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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. bass — the fish
  3. shower — rain
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. kick — in football
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bulb — for light
  8. shower — to wash
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. perch — the fish
  11. chip — for betting
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. chip — to eat
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. snap — to click
  23. bass — low music
  24. chip — in a computer

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