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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: cell · straw · chip · bay · trunk · roll · suit · rock

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. cell — a phone
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. roll — a cake
  6. rock — a stone
  7. chip — for betting
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. rock — music
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. chip — to eat
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. suit — to fit
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. suit — in cards
  20. cell — in biology
  21. suit — clothes
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. roll — a list
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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