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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. cue — a hint
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. cue — for pool
  5. land — a country
  6. clip — for paper
  7. land — to come down
  8. bat — the animal
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. firm — a company
  12. deal — to handle
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. clip — to cut
  15. foot — a measure
  16. clip — a video
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. cue — a signal
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. land — ground
  23. firm — decided
  24. firm — steady

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