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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. last — to go on
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. ground — a position
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. club — for dancing
  9. ground — the earth
  10. cue — a hint
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. last — final
  14. cue — for pool
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. club — for golf
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. toast — bread
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. ground — crushed
  23. club — a group
  24. last — finally

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