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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: cue · pitch · pop · calf · tube · last · jam · roll

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. roll — a cake
  3. last — final
  4. roll — a list
  5. tube — the underground
  6. pop — soda
  7. cue — a signal
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. cue — a hint
  10. tube — a container
  11. pop — to visit
  12. pitch — completely
  13. pop — music
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. last — finally
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. cue — for pool
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. last — to go on
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. jam — in traffic

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