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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: trunk · chair · dip · net · chip · drill · rash · jam

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  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. chair — a leader
  2. dip — to sink
  3. net — in sport
  4. net — after costs
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. rash — hasty
  7. drill — army training
  8. chip — to eat
  9. drill — the tool
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. net — for catching
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. chip — for betting
  21. drill — a practice
  22. rash — a series
  23. dip — a sauce
  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