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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: cue · arm · degree · game · kick · date · pitch · vault

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. game — wild animals
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. cue — for pool
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. degree — from a university
  11. degree — temperature
  12. date — the fruit
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. vault — a safe
  15. cue — a hint
  16. cue — a signal
  17. kick — in football
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. degree — an amount
  23. pitch — completely
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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