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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. spell — a short time
  4. bat — the animal
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. spell — letters
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. toast — bread
  11. spell — magic
  12. drill — army training
  13. cue — a signal
  14. cue — a hint
  15. drill — a practice
  16. drill — the tool
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. cue — for pool
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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