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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. scale — in music
  5. cue — a hint
  6. pound — a weight
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. row — a line
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. bat — the animal
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. cue — for pool
  16. cue — a signal
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. row — to paddle
  24. pound — to hit hard

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