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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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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: cue · field · band · trunk · lie · pit · pitch · rule

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. pitch — completely
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. field — for sport
  5. rule — a law
  6. lie — to recline
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. cue — a hint
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. cue — for pool
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. pit — in a race
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. band — a ring
  17. rule — government
  18. pit — a hole
  19. band — a music group
  20. field — a subject
  21. field — farmland
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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