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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: pitch · fine · mark · degree · capital · racket · foot · tube

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. mark — a trace
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. degree — temperature
  6. mark — a grade
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. degree — from a university
  9. fine — all right
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. capital — a city
  12. pitch — completely
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. fine — high quality
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. degree — an amount
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. tube — a container
  21. capital — money
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. foot — a measure
  24. tube — the underground

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