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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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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 · fall · wave · scale · kick · degree · mug · kid

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. fall — the season
  3. kick — in football
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. scale — size or range
  6. kid — to tease
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. fall — to drop
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. degree — an amount
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. pitch — completely
  14. mug — a face
  15. degree — temperature
  16. mug — to rob
  17. kid — child
  18. fall — to drop
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. mug — a cup
  23. degree — from a university
  24. scale — in music

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