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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: cue · bass · degree · roll · tear · court · pitch · can

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. court — of law
  3. cue — a hint
  4. bass — the fish
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. tear — from crying
  7. degree — temperature
  8. cue — a signal
  9. tear — from crying
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. roll — a list
  12. can — a tin
  13. cue — for pool
  14. bass — low music
  15. pitch — completely
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. can — to be able to
  18. can — a tin
  19. roll — a cake
  20. tear — to rip
  21. degree — an amount
  22. court — of a king
  23. court — for sport
  24. degree — from a university

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