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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.

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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 · cue · track · rush · spell · pitch · swing · game

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. track — a path
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. swing — to play on
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. cue — for pool
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. spell — letters
  9. cue — a hint
  10. game — a match
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. track — to keep track
  13. rush — hurry
  14. game — wild animals
  15. swing — music
  16. cue — a signal
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. track — a song
  20. spell — a short time
  21. spell — magic
  22. pitch — completely
  23. swing — in golf
  24. rush — to hurry

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