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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: cabinet · wave · degree · bowl · kick · hide · spell · pitch

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. degree — an amount
  12. spell — magic
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. spell — a short time
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. pitch — completely
  20. kick — in football
  21. degree — from a university
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. spell — letters
  24. wave — with your hand

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