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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: jam · chip · rest · trunk · tube · clip · game · pitch

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  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. rest — a break
  2. game — a match
  3. clip — to cut
  4. tube — a container
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. pitch — completely
  9. chip — to eat
  10. game — wild animals
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. chip — for betting
  14. tube — the underground
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. rest — what's left
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. clip — for paper
  20. clip — a video
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. rest — what's left
  23. tube — in a tire
  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