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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. sharp — clever
  3. rock — a stone
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. bat — the animal
  6. foot — a measure
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. cue — a signal
  9. fine — high quality
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. cue — for pool
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. fine — all right
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. cue — a hint
  18. rock — music
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. season — of the year
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. season — in sport

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