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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: pitch · pitcher · degree · chair · bound · track · cue · kid

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. degree — temperature
  3. track — a song
  4. bound — certain
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. track — to keep track
  8. degree — from a university
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. cue — a hint
  12. pitch — completely
  13. cue — for pool
  14. track — a path
  15. kid — child
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. kid — to tease
  18. bound — tied together
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. degree — an amount
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. chair — a leader
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. cue — a signal

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