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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 120 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: trunk · chip · racket · bowl · file · kick · mouse · pitcher

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. file — a document
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. chip — for betting
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. kick — in football
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. chip — to eat
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. file — a line of people
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. file — a tool
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. mouse — the animal

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