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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: dip · calf · pit · staff · pitcher · suit · clip · degree

  1. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. suit — to fit
  3. degree — an amount
  4. suit — clothes
  5. staff — employees
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. clip — a video
  8. staff — a stick
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. dip — to sink
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. pit — a hole
  17. pit — in a race
  18. clip — to cut
  19. degree — temperature
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. staff — employees
  23. degree — from a university
  24. clip — for paper

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