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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. wound — an injury
  5. scale — in music
  6. cue — for pool
  7. mine — for digging
  8. mark — a grade
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. wound — an injury
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. snap — to click
  15. kick — in football
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. mark — a trace
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. cue — a signal
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. scale — size or range
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. kick — with a leg

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