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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: trunk · straw · can · pitch · march · cue · stick · bowl

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. cue — a hint
  3. cue — a signal
  4. march — the month
  5. can — a tin
  6. can — to be able to
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. march — music
  16. pitch — completely
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. cue — for pool
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. can — a tin
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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