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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: stick · kick · pitch · degree · current · net · mark · wake

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. net — after costs
  3. mark — a trace
  4. net — in sport
  5. wake — a trail
  6. degree — an amount
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. kick — in football
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. current — of water
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. current — electric
  13. degree — from a university
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. pitch — completely
  18. net — for catching
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. current — happening now
  23. mark — a grade
  24. degree — temperature

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