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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'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. lean — thin
  5. file — a line of people
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. cue — a signal
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. lean — to bend
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. present — the time now
  14. present — a gift
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. file — a tool
  17. cue — for pool
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. present — there
  22. file — a document
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. lean — to rest against

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