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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 116 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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. drill — army training
  3. cue — for pool
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. net — for catching
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. net — in sport
  8. cue — a hint
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. pound — a weight
  15. drill — the tool
  16. cue — a signal
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. bat — the animal
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. net — after costs
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. drill — a practice
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. coach — a trainer

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