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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: pitch · trunk · hand · snap · cue · saw · degree · swing

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. cue — a hint
  3. swing — to play on
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. hand — help
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. saw — the tool
  9. degree — temperature
  10. saw — the tool
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. cue — for pool
  13. cue — a signal
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. degree — an amount
  16. swing — music
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. pitch — completely
  19. degree — from a university
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. swing — in golf
  22. snap — to click
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. hand — part of the body

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