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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: bore · chip · pitch · kick · pitcher · wax · degree · rest

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. bore — to drill
  3. pitch — completely
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. bore — to tire
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. rest — a break
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. chip — to eat
  11. rest — what's left
  12. kick — in football
  13. rest — what's left
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. wax — to grow
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. chip — for betting
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. degree — temperature
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. degree — from a university
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. bore — gave birth

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