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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
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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: squash · bulb · face · cue · trunk · cold · court · game

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. squash — to crush
  3. squash — the sport
  4. face — to point toward
  5. face — to confront
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. court — of law
  8. cold — an illness
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bulb — for light
  11. court — for sport
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. cue — a hint
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. cue — for pool
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. game — a match
  19. cold — not warm
  20. game — wild animals
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. cue — a signal
  23. face — part of the head
  24. court — of a king

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