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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 120 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: cabinet · pitch · cue · court · arm · tube · hand · bound

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. court — for sport
  5. cue — a signal
  6. bound — obliged
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. tube — the underground
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. court — of a king
  15. pitch — completely
  16. bound — certain
  17. hand — in cards
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. tube — a container
  20. cue — a hint
  21. cue — for pool
  22. hand — help
  23. bound — tied together
  24. pitch — a sports field

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