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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: chest · chip · lie · calf · craft · cell

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. chip — for betting
  3. chip — to eat
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. craft — boats
  6. chest — of your body
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. chest — of your body
  9. lie — to recline
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. craft — a skill
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. cell — in biology
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. chest — a box
  18. cell — a phone

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