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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. file — a tool
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. march — music
  10. bass — the fish
  11. cue — a hint
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. bass — low music
  14. foot — a measure
  15. sharp — clever
  16. cue — a signal
  17. march — the month
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. file — a document
  22. march — the month
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. file — a line of people

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