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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: pitcher · spell · rush · degree · kick · leaves · fall · cabinet

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. kick — in football
  3. rush — hurry
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. degree — from a university
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. degree — an amount
  10. spell — magic
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. fall — the season
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. fall — to drop
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. spell — a short time
  21. degree — temperature
  22. spell — letters
  23. fall — to drop
  24. rush — a thrill

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