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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 116 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 tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. snap — to click
  4. net — after costs
  5. game — a match
  6. cue — for pool
  7. rush — hurry
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. game — wild animals
  10. net — for catching
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. pitch — completely
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. cue — a signal
  22. net — in sport
  23. cue — a hint
  24. wake — a trail

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