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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. land — a country
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. spring — the season
  6. squash — to crush
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. kick — in football
  9. chip — for betting
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. chip — to eat
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. spring — of water
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. squash — the sport
  18. land — to come down
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. land — ground
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. spring — a coil
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. trunk — of a tree

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