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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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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: cue · trunk · firm · bat · shower · fork · face · track

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. face — part of the head
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. cue — a hint
  6. shower — rain
  7. shower — to wash
  8. firm — decided
  9. face — to confront
  10. face — to point toward
  11. fork — in a road
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. firm — steady
  14. cue — for pool
  15. cue — a signal
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. firm — a company
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. bat — the animal
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. track — a song
  23. track — a path
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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