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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: bass · sharp · pitch · degree · wave · hide · lean · kick

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. lean — thin
  3. kick — in football
  4. degree — temperature
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. lean — to bend
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. degree — an amount
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. bass — low music
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. pitch — completely
  19. sharp — clever
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. bass — the fish
  23. degree — from a university
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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