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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: cue · nail · chest · rest · chip · kick · trunk · perch

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. chest — of your body
  5. cue — a hint
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. chest — a box
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. rest — what's left
  10. cue — for pool
  11. kick — in football
  12. chest — of your body
  13. chip — to eat
  14. chip — for betting
  15. perch — the fish
  16. cue — a signal
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. rest — what's left
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. rest — a break
  24. kick — with a leg

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