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

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. spell — letters
  8. rest — what's left
  9. spell — magic
  10. cue — a signal
  11. pitch — completely
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. rest — a break
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. cue — for pool
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. ball — a dance
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. cue — a hint
  21. spell — a short time
  22. rest — what's left
  23. bark — to shout
  24. ball — a great time

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