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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: pop · degree · pass · net · wake · wave · object · court

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. degree — from a university
  3. object — to protest
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. pop — soda
  6. wake — a trail
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. court — of a king
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. pass — a permit
  14. object — an aim
  15. pop — to visit
  16. net — in sport
  17. degree — an amount
  18. court — for sport
  19. pop — music
  20. net — for catching
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. object — a thing
  23. degree — temperature
  24. court — of law

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