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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. bat — the animal
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. cue — for pool
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. key — the most important part
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. cue — a signal
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. key — for a lock
  14. land — ground
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. land — to come down
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. land — a country
  22. key — in music
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. bowl — a football final

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