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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. object — a thing
  3. net — in sport
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. net — after costs
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. chip — to eat
  8. object — to protest
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. file — a tool
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. spring — the season
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. file — a document
  17. spring — of water
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. spring — a coil
  20. file — a line of people
  21. object — an aim
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. net — for catching

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