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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.

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: drill · cue · hand · bat · march · mouse · rest · trunk

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. drill — a practice
  3. rest — a break
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. march — the month
  7. rest — what's left
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. rest — what's left
  11. drill — army training
  12. hand — in cards
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. cue — for pool
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. drill — the tool
  19. march — music
  20. march — the month
  21. bat — the animal
  22. hand — help
  23. cue — a signal
  24. mouse — the animal

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