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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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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: pop · face · bat · stick · last · trunk · chip · wound

  1. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. wound — an injury
  3. bat — the animal
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. chip — for betting
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. pop — soda
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. face — to point toward
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. last — to go on
  15. last — finally
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. chip — to eat
  18. pop — music
  19. pop — to visit
  20. wound — an injury
  21. face — to confront
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. last — final
  24. face — part of the head

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