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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: swing · bass · cap · mate · degree · calf · pitch · roll

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. degree — an amount
  4. bass — low music
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. mate — a partner
  7. swing — in golf
  8. swing — to play on
  9. mate — a friend
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. roll — a cake
  12. degree — from a university
  13. roll — a list
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. swing — music
  17. cap — a hat
  18. mate — to breed
  19. bass — the fish
  20. degree — temperature
  21. pitch — completely
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. cap — of ice
  24. calf — of the leg

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