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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: club · snap · kid · trunk · chip · last · racket · row

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  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. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. chip — for betting
  7. row — a line
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. kid — child
  12. club — for dancing
  13. row — to paddle
  14. last — to go on
  15. snap — to click
  16. last — finally
  17. club — a group
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. kid — to tease
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. chip — to eat
  22. last — final
  23. club — for golf
  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