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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: temple · pitch · trunk · snap · roll · perch · racket · drill

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. drill — the tool
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. roll — a list
  5. snap — to click
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. drill — a practice
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. drill — army training
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. perch — the fish
  13. pitch — completely
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. roll — a cake
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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