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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 tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. swing — to play on
  3. swing — in golf
  4. club — for dancing
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. cue — a hint
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. club — a group
  12. kid — child
  13. wound — an injury
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. cue — a signal
  17. cue — for pool
  18. kid — to tease
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. fork — in a road
  22. swing — music
  23. club — for golf
  24. wound — an injury

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