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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: kid · jam · pitch · saw · root · object · hide · degree

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. object — an aim
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. degree — an amount
  5. degree — temperature
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. saw — the tool
  8. pitch — completely
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. kid — to tease
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. degree — from a university
  16. saw — the tool
  17. root — the cause
  18. root — of a word
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. object — to protest
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. root — of a plant
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. object — a thing

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