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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: pitcher · ground · kick · foot · spell · bass · degree · ruler

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. spell — magic
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. ground — crushed
  6. degree — from a university
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. bass — the fish
  11. foot — a measure
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. kick — in football
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. spell — letters
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. degree — an amount
  20. degree — temperature
  21. ground — a position
  22. bass — low music
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. ground — the earth

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