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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 116 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: cue · degree · spell · kick · racket · ground · pound · pit

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. cue — for pool
  4. degree — temperature
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. degree — from a university
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. spell — letters
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. degree — an amount
  12. cue — a hint
  13. cue — a signal
  14. ground — the earth
  15. ground — crushed
  16. kick — in football
  17. spell — magic
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. spell — a short time
  20. pit — in a race
  21. pound — a weight
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. pit — a hole
  24. kick — a thrill

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