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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 116 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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. cue — a signal
  3. degree — an amount
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. kick — in football
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. cue — for pool
  8. cue — a hint
  9. cap — of ice
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. degree — from a university
  12. cap — a hat
  13. season — of the year
  14. cap — a lid
  15. pitch — completely
  16. degree — temperature
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. bound — tied together
  19. bound — obliged
  20. bound — certain
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. chair — a leader
  24. season — in sport

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