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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 116 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: drill · game · trunk · present · mate · chip · last · fan

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. chip — for betting
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. drill — army training
  5. present — a gift
  6. mate — a friend
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. drill — the tool
  9. last — final
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. last — finally
  13. game — wild animals
  14. mate — a partner
  15. game — a match
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. mate — to breed
  19. drill — a practice
  20. present — the time now
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. last — to go on
  23. present — there
  24. chip — to eat

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