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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 · foot · racket · cell · coach · rash · degree · roll

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  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. pitch — a sports field
  2. pitch — completely
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. foot — a measure
  5. degree — an amount
  6. rash — a series
  7. cell — a phone
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. cell — in biology
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. roll — a cake
  15. degree — from a university
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. rash — hasty
  18. degree — temperature
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. roll — a list
  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