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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: scale · degree · trunk · club · sharp · pitch · calf · cap

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. scale — in music
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. club — for dancing
  7. pitch — completely
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. cap — of ice
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. sharp — clever
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. club — for golf
  18. cap — a lid
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. club — a group
  21. degree — temperature
  22. scale — size or range
  23. degree — an amount
  24. degree — from a university

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