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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. mate — a friend
  3. game — a match
  4. mate — to breed
  5. cue — for pool
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. march — the month
  8. cue — a signal
  9. mate — a partner
  10. scale — size or range
  11. face — part of the head
  12. march — the month
  13. cue — a hint
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. spell — letters
  16. face — to confront
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. march — music
  20. game — wild animals
  21. spell — magic
  22. face — to point toward
  23. scale — in music
  24. spell — a short time

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