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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. kid — to tease
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. current — electric
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. saw — the tool
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. saw — the tool
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. lean — to bend
  15. lean — thin
  16. chip — to eat
  17. current — happening now
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. chip — for betting
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. kid — child
  24. current — of water

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