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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. land — ground
  3. land — a country
  4. fine — all right
  5. tube — a container
  6. chip — to eat
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. swing — in golf
  12. swing — music
  13. tube — the underground
  14. land — to come down
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. lean — to bend
  18. fine — high quality
  19. kick — in football
  20. lean — thin
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. chip — for betting
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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