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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: stem · calf · vault · game · pitch · pit · degree · court

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. degree — an amount
  3. court — of law
  4. degree — from a university
  5. pitch — completely
  6. degree — temperature
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. vault — a safe
  10. pit — a hole
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. pit — in a race
  15. game — a match
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. game — wild animals
  19. stem — to come from
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. court — of a king
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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