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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.

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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: racket · ball · wake · degree · deal · cell

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. degree — from a university
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. cell — a phone
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. ball — a dance
  7. cell — in biology
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. degree — temperature
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. deal — to handle
  13. ball — a great time
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. degree — an amount
  18. deal — a big deal

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