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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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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: trunk · kick · pitch · degree · track · rule · bat · cabinet

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. bat — the animal
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. track — to keep track
  10. track — a song
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. degree — temperature
  15. degree — from a university
  16. rule — a law
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. rule — government
  20. track — a path
  21. kick — in football
  22. pitch — completely
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. kick — with a leg

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