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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. season — of the year
  4. court — for sport
  5. bound — obliged
  6. bound — certain
  7. wake — a trail
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. court — of a king
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. court — of law
  17. bound — tied together
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. pitch — completely
  20. degree — temperature
  21. degree — from a university
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. degree — an amount
  24. calf — a young animal

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