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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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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: club · kick · pitch · bank · wind · rest · calf · degree

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. bank — for money
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. degree — an amount
  6. club — for golf
  7. pitch — completely
  8. rest — what's left
  9. bank — of a river
  10. kick — in football
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. rest — what's left
  13. club — a group
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. wind — moving air
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. degree — temperature
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. degree — from a university
  21. club — for dancing
  22. rest — a break
  23. bank — for money
  24. wind — moving air

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