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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. cue — for pool
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. roll — a cake
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. root — of a word
  12. bat — the animal
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. scale — size or range
  15. cue — a hint
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. roll — a list
  18. vault — a safe
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. root — the cause
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. root — of a plant
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. scale — in music

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