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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 120 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: straw · content · lean · pitcher · can · foot · degree · pitch

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. degree — from a university
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. foot — a measure
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. lean — thin
  11. can — a tin
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. can — a tin
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. lean — to bend
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. can — to be able to
  21. degree — temperature
  22. degree — an amount
  23. pitch — completely
  24. content — happy

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