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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: pass · club · cue · chest · cell · trunk · row · pitcher

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. club — for dancing
  4. club — for golf
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. cue — a signal
  8. club — a group
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. chest — of your body
  11. chest — of your body
  12. cell — a phone
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. chest — a box
  16. row — to paddle
  17. pass — a permit
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. cell — in biology
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. cue — a hint
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. cue — for pool
  24. cell — in a prison

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