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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 · track · trunk · foot · hide · degree · stick · kick

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. foot — a measure
  3. degree — temperature
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. degree — an amount
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. track — to keep track
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. track — a path
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. kick — in football
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. track — a song
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. degree — from a university
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. pitch — completely
  24. pitch — a sports field

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