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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
468
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: can · mouse · trunk · cue · pit · pitch · last · land

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  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. can — a tin
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. can — to be able to
  4. land — ground
  5. land — to come down
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. cue — a signal
  8. last — finally
  9. pit — a hole
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. can — a tin
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. cue — for pool
  15. pit — in a race
  16. land — a country
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. pitch — completely
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. last — to go on
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. last — final
  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