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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: pitch · fall · wave · scale · kick · degree

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. degree — temperature
  5. fall — to drop
  6. degree — from a university
  7. kick — in football
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. pitch — completely
  10. scale — size or range
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. fall — the season
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. degree — an amount
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. scale — in music
  18. wave — of the sea

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