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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 · game · safe · stick · cabinet · trunk · date · mouse

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. chip — to eat
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. game — wild animals
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. chip — for betting
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. date — the fruit
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. game — a match

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