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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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. band — a ring
  4. cue — a signal
  5. club — for golf
  6. band — a music group
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. club — a group
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. pit — in a race
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. kid — child
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. cue — for pool
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. club — for dancing
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. chair — a leader
  22. cue — a hint
  23. kid — to tease
  24. pit — a hole

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