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

Word bank: chest · trunk · mate · field · calf · fine · fork · chip

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. fine — high quality
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. mate — a partner
  5. fork — in a road
  6. mate — a friend
  7. chest — a box
  8. field — for sport
  9. mate — to breed
  10. field — a subject
  11. chip — to eat
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. fine — all right
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. chest — of your body
  20. field — farmland
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. chip — for betting
  24. fork — to eat with

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