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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 elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. bat — the animal
  5. cue — for pool
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. wound — an injury
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. cue — a signal
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. season — of the year
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. season — in sport
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. rush — hurry
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. cue — a hint
  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