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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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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: rush · nail · degree · calf · pitch · branch · sharp · racket

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. pitch — completely
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. degree — an amount
  12. degree — temperature
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. degree — from a university
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. branch — a division
  18. rush — hurry
  19. sharp — clever
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. nail — for a hammer

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