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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. staff — a stick
  3. cue — a hint
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. degree — from a university
  7. pit — a hole
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. cue — for pool
  11. capital — a city
  12. cue — a signal
  13. degree — temperature
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. last — final
  16. staff — employees
  17. hand — in cards
  18. degree — an amount
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. capital — money
  21. last — finally
  22. hand — help
  23. last — to go on
  24. staff — employees

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