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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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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: swing · cue · fall · cold · march · safe · trunk · mine

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. swing — in golf
  3. fall — to drop
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. cue — for pool
  6. march — the month
  7. mine — for digging
  8. cold — not warm
  9. fall — to drop
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. march — music
  13. swing — music
  14. cue — a hint
  15. fall — the season
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. march — the month
  19. cold — an illness
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. swing — to play on
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. cue — a signal

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