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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. chip — to eat
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. clip — a video
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. face — to confront
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. clip — to cut
  19. clip — for paper
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. face — part of the head
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. face — to point toward

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