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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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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 · track · land · dip · ball · wound · bat

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wound — an injury
  5. ball — a great time
  6. dip — to sink
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. land — to come down
  9. track — a path
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. land — a country
  12. track — a song
  13. cue — a signal
  14. bat — the animal
  15. ball — a dance
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. cue — a hint
  18. track — to keep track
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. cue — for pool
  23. land — ground
  24. trunk — of a car

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