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

Word bank: deal · bore · cue · clip · cap · pitch · staff · calf

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. cue — for pool
  3. bore — to tire
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. cap — of ice
  6. staff — employees
  7. cue — a signal
  8. cap — a lid
  9. cap — a hat
  10. clip — to cut
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. clip — for paper
  16. bore — to drill
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. pitch — completely
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. clip — a video
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. staff — a stick
  23. cue — a hint
  24. deal — to handle

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