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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: squash · pitcher · perch · cue · sharp · calf · nail · trunk

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  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. perch — the fish
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. squash — to crush
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. squash — the sport
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. sharp — clever
  10. cue — a signal
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. cue — for pool
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. perch — for a bird
  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