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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: pit · patient · hide · trunk · degree · pitch · staff · cue

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. staff — employees
  4. pit — in a race
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. degree — temperature
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. pitch — completely
  14. pit — a hole
  15. staff — a stick
  16. cue — a hint
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. staff — employees
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. degree — from a university
  22. cue — for pool
  23. degree — an amount
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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