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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: kick · spell · track · foot · mark · calf · degree · pitch

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. foot — a measure
  4. track — a song
  5. spell — magic
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. degree — from a university
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. spell — letters
  12. degree — an amount
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. degree — temperature
  16. pitch — completely
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. kick — in football
  20. spell — a short time
  21. mark — a trace
  22. track — a path
  23. track — to keep track
  24. mark — a grade

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