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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: trunk · chip · rock · pitch · present · march · current · degree

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. chip — for betting
  4. march — music
  5. degree — from a university
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. degree — temperature
  8. current — of water
  9. rock — music
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. present — a gift
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. pitch — completely
  16. present — there
  17. chip — to eat
  18. current — happening now
  19. march — the month
  20. rock — a stone
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. present — the time now
  23. march — the month
  24. current — electric

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