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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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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: lean · court · pitcher · kick · degree · rash · mug · dip

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. degree — temperature
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. mug — a cup
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. court — of a king
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. rash — hasty
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. court — for sport
  14. mug — a face
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. lean — to bend
  18. degree — from a university
  19. dip — to sink
  20. rash — a series
  21. court — of law
  22. mug — to rob
  23. degree — an amount
  24. lean — thin

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