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

Word bank: trunk · cue · bulb · last · rest · race · sharp · mark

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. race — a contest
  4. last — final
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. cue — a signal
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. race — the arms race
  9. rest — what's left
  10. bulb — for light
  11. sharp — clever
  12. rest — what's left
  13. mark — a grade
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. race — humankind
  16. last — to go on
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. bulb — for light
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. mark — a trace
  22. rest — a break
  23. cue — a hint
  24. cue — for pool

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