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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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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: tear · game · pitch · degree · kick · hand · trunk · cue

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. pitch — completely
  4. cue — for pool
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. hand — in cards
  7. tear — from crying
  8. tear — to rip
  9. kick — in football
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. degree — from a university
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. game — a match
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. hand — help
  18. cue — a signal
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. cue — a hint
  21. game — wild animals
  22. tear — from crying
  23. degree — an amount
  24. degree — temperature

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