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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: arm · present · chair · date · last · cue · key · degree

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. present — the time now
  3. cue — for pool
  4. key — in music
  5. present — a gift
  6. degree — an amount
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. chair — a leader
  9. last — finally
  10. cue — a hint
  11. present — there
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. last — to go on
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. key — the most important part
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. cue — a signal
  18. degree — from a university
  19. degree — temperature
  20. date — the fruit
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. key — for a lock

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