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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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. pit — in a race
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. swing — to play on
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. game — wild animals
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. game — a match
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. pit — a hole
  14. swing — music
  15. roll — a list
  16. cue — a signal
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. cue — a hint
  20. perch — the fish
  21. swing — in golf
  22. cue — for pool
  23. roll — a cake
  24. bat — the animal

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