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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: scale · bat · sharp · trunk · suit · bulb · mine · cue

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. suit — clothes
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. suit — in cards
  6. scale — size or range
  7. mine — for digging
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. cue — a signal
  10. suit — to fit
  11. bulb — for light
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. cue — for pool
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. bat — the animal
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. cue — a hint
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. scale — in music
  23. bulb — for light
  24. trunk — of a car

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