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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: bear · pound · cue · last · pitch · staff · arm · bat

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. pound — a weight
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. last — final
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. cue — for pool
  8. cue — a hint
  9. bear — the animal
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. last — finally
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. staff — employees
  14. pitch — completely
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. bear — the animal
  17. last — to go on
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. staff — employees
  21. cue — a signal
  22. staff — a stick
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. bat — the animal

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