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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: file · temple · staff · pitch · degree · racket · clip · can

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. degree — temperature
  3. clip — to cut
  4. staff — employees
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. staff — a stick
  7. degree — an amount
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. staff — employees
  11. can — a tin
  12. degree — from a university
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. clip — a video
  15. can — to be able to
  16. clip — for paper
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. pitch — completely
  19. file — a tool
  20. file — a document
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. can — a tin
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. file — a line of people

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