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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 · bore · arm · game · trunk · spell · safe · last

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. game — wild animals
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. spell — letters
  7. game — a match
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. chip — to eat
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. chip — for betting
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. last — finally
  14. last — final
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. spell — a short time
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. last — to go on
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. bore — to drill
  21. bore — to tire
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. spell — magic
  24. trunk — of a tree

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