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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 120 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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. degree — from a university
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. bass — low music
  6. cue — for pool
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. chip — to eat
  10. cue — a hint
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. cue — a signal
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. bass — the fish
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. degree — temperature
  21. chip — for betting
  22. degree — an amount
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. coach — a trainer

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