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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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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: hand · chip · trunk · sharp · bound · bat · chair · bear

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. bat — the animal
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. chip — for betting
  10. chip — to eat
  11. bear — the animal
  12. chair — a leader
  13. bound — certain
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. hand — in cards
  19. sharp — clever
  20. bear — the animal
  21. hand — help
  22. bound — obliged
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. bear — to put up with

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