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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. stock — shares
  6. stock — goods
  7. squash — to crush
  8. fall — to drop
  9. prune — to trim
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. prune — to trim
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. cue — a signal
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. fall — the season
  17. cue — a hint
  18. cue — for pool
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. kick — in football
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. fall — to drop

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