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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: cold · pop · trunk · kid · perch · pitch · cue · cabinet

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. cold — not warm
  5. kid — child
  6. perch — the fish
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. cold — an illness
  14. pop — soda
  15. pitch — completely
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. pop — music
  18. cue — for pool
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. cue — a signal
  21. kid — to tease
  22. pop — to visit
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. cue — a hint

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