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

Word bank: drill · temple · board · chip · straw · trunk · rest · fine

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. fine — all right
  3. rest — a break
  4. board — a committee
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. chip — for betting
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. drill — army training
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. rest — what's left
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. fine — high quality
  20. drill — the tool
  21. rest — what's left
  22. board — to get on
  23. drill — a practice
  24. chip — to eat

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