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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · toast · chip · fan · bat · rule · pitcher · drill

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. drill — a practice
  6. toast — bread
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. chip — to eat
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. drill — the tool
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. rule — government
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. drill — army training
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. bat — the animal
  23. rule — a law
  24. chip — for betting

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