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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: band · straw · game · rock · trunk · foot · racket · cue

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. cue — for pool
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. cue — a hint
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. game — wild animals
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. rock — a stone
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. foot — a measure
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. band — a ring
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. band — a music group
  21. game — a match
  22. cue — a signal
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. rock — music

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