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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 strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. cue — for pool
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. object — to protest
  5. wind — moving air
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. pit — in a race
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. object — a thing
  10. track — to keep track
  11. cap — a hat
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. cue — a hint
  14. sharp — clever
  15. track — a song
  16. pit — a hole
  17. cue — a signal
  18. cap — a lid
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. cap — of ice
  22. object — an aim
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. track — a path

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