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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've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. wake — a trail
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. cue — a hint
  8. deal — to handle
  9. game — wild animals
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. game — a match
  19. cue — a signal
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. cue — for pool
  24. trunk — of a tree

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