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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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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: net · deal · pitcher · degree · fork · wave

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. degree — temperature
  5. deal — to handle
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. degree — an amount
  12. net — for catching
  13. net — in sport
  14. net — after costs
  15. fork — in a road
  16. degree — from a university
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. pitcher — a jug

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