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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. cue — a signal
  4. cue — a hint
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. pitch — completely
  9. shower — to wash
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. field — farmland
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. bear — the animal
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. pop — to visit
  16. field — for sport
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. cue — for pool
  20. field — a subject
  21. pop — music
  22. bear — the animal
  23. shower — rain
  24. pop — soda

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