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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: season · present · march · file · arm · racket · chip · trunk

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. season — of the year
  6. chip — for betting
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. chip — to eat
  11. march — the month
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. present — there
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. file — a document
  18. present — the time now
  19. march — the month
  20. season — in sport
  21. file — a tool
  22. file — a line of people
  23. present — a gift
  24. march — music

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