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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: trunk · spell · nail · game · bat · cabinet · pitch · wake

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. bat — the animal
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. wake — a trail
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. spell — magic
  9. pitch — completely
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. game — a match
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. spell — a short time
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. game — wild animals
  20. spell — letters
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. nail — on a finger

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