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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 tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. cue — a signal
  3. pass — a permit
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. fine — all right
  6. cue — for pool
  7. fine — high quality
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. cold — an illness
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. net — after costs
  14. wound — an injury
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. wound — an injury
  17. cue — a hint
  18. net — for catching
  19. cold — not warm
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. mine — for digging
  22. net — in sport
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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