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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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Word bank
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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: calf · last · bound · leaves · drill · pitch · cue · foot

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. last — to go on
  4. foot — a measure
  5. pitch — completely
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. last — final
  9. drill — army training
  10. cue — a hint
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. bound — obliged
  16. drill — the tool
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. cue — for pool
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. bound — tied together
  22. last — finally
  23. bound — certain
  24. drill — a practice

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