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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: band · pitch · kick · bay · lean · pitcher · degree · fine

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. degree — from a university
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. lean — to bend
  7. kick — in football
  8. pitch — completely
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. band — a ring
  13. degree — temperature
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. band — a music group
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. lean — thin
  19. fine — high quality
  20. fine — all right
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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