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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. degree — from a university
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. degree — an amount
  6. cue — a signal
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. chest — of your body
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. cue — for pool
  12. chest — a box
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. stand — to bear
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. chest — of your body
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. toast — bread
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. degree — temperature

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