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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: jam · degree · pitch · kick · branch · capital · field · cabinet

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. branch — a division
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. capital — money
  5. pitch — completely
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. field — for sport
  13. degree — an amount
  14. kick — in football
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. degree — from a university
  18. field — farmland
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. field — a subject
  24. capital — a city

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