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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 116 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: pitch · degree · scale · bowl · band · kick · wound · cue

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. kick — in football
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. band — a music group
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. cue — a signal
  8. scale — in music
  9. degree — an amount
  10. scale — size or range
  11. pitch — completely
  12. wound — an injury
  13. wound — an injury
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. degree — temperature
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. band — a ring
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. cue — for pool
  20. degree — from a university
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. cue — a hint

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