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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: cap · game · trunk · deal · bark · cue · spell · pit

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  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. pit — a fruit stone
  2. cap — of ice
  3. game — wild animals
  4. cap — a hat
  5. spell — a short time
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. cue — a signal
  8. spell — magic
  9. cap — a lid
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. cue — for pool
  12. deal — to handle
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. pit — a hole
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. pit — in a race
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. bark — to shout
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. spell — letters
  22. game — a match
  23. bark — of a tree
  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