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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: chip · mug · game · dip · board · shower · trunk · land

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. land — ground
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. chip — for betting
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. shower — to wash
  7. chip — to eat
  8. land — a country
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. game — a match
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. land — to come down
  13. shower — rain
  14. board — to get on
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. game — wild animals
  17. mug — a face
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. board — a committee
  20. mug — to rob
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. mug — a cup
  23. dip — to sink
  24. dip — to dunk

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