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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: hand · trunk · chip · pass · court · object · cue · cell

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. cell — in biology
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. court — for sport
  6. pass — a permit
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. object — a thing
  9. cue — a hint
  10. chip — to eat
  11. cue — for pool
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. court — of a king
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. court — of law
  17. cell — a phone
  18. cue — a signal
  19. hand — help
  20. object — an aim
  21. chip — for betting
  22. hand — in cards
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. object — to protest

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