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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: bulb · wake · kick · bear · drill · row · degree · pitch

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. drill — a practice
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. wake — a trail
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. kick — in football
  7. degree — temperature
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. row — to paddle
  10. degree — from a university
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. degree — an amount
  14. bear — the animal
  15. drill — the tool
  16. bulb — for light
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. pitch — completely
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. bulb — for light
  22. drill — army training
  23. row — a line
  24. bear — the animal

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