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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: nail · pitch · rush · land · hand · cue · pop · trunk

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. pitch — completely
  3. land — a country
  4. rush — hurry
  5. pop — soda
  6. pop — music
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. cue — a signal
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. land — to come down
  11. cue — a hint
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. land — ground
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. hand — help
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. hand — in cards
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. cue — for pool
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. hand — part of the body

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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