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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. cue — a signal
  5. last — finally
  6. last — final
  7. cue — for pool
  8. degree — temperature
  9. degree — from a university
  10. chip — for betting
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. pitch — completely
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. chip — to eat
  17. cue — a hint
  18. degree — an amount
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. last — to go on
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. leaves — to go away

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