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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 120 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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. cue — for pool
  3. pitch — completely
  4. drill — the tool
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. stem — to come from
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. last — finally
  9. drill — a practice
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. mine — for digging
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. drill — army training
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. cue — a signal
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. plane — a tool
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. cue — a hint
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. last — final

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