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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: spell · race · sharp · kick · cue · rock · season · trunk

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. rock — music
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. sharp — clever
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. spell — letters
  9. rock — a stone
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. race — the arms race
  12. cue — a signal
  13. season — in sport
  14. spell — magic
  15. kick — in football
  16. season — of the year
  17. cue — for pool
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. race — humankind
  20. spell — a short time
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. race — a contest
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. sharp — with an edge

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