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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 116 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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. snap — to click
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. cue — a hint
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. plane — a tool
  15. bat — the animal
  16. cue — a signal
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. cue — for pool
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. shower — to wash
  23. chair — a leader
  24. racket — a loud noise

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