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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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. cue — a signal
  5. cue — for pool
  6. game — wild animals
  7. shower — to wash
  8. rock — music
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. game — a match
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. pass — a permit
  19. cue — a hint
  20. rock — a stone
  21. shower — rain
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. trunk — of a car

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