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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: stick · wind · pitch · degree · squash · cabinet

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. pitch — completely
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. wind — moving air
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. wind — moving air
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. degree — from a university
  14. degree — an amount
  15. degree — temperature
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. squash — to crush

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