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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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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: arm · pitch · wave · bear · capital · nail · degree · kid

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. degree — an amount
  5. kid — to tease
  6. capital — money
  7. bear — the animal
  8. kid — child
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. capital — a city
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. pitch — completely
  17. degree — from a university
  18. bear — the animal
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. degree — temperature
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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