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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: key · arm · jam · degree · rule · pitch · last · stand

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. degree — from a university
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. key — the most important part
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. last — to go on
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. degree — an amount
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. degree — temperature
  13. rule — government
  14. stand — to bear
  15. key — for a lock
  16. pitch — completely
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. rule — a law
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. last — final
  21. last — finally
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. key — in music
  24. arm — part of the body

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