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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: mug · court · pitch · bank · degree · wave · track · chair

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. mug — a face
  3. track — to keep track
  4. degree — temperature
  5. court — of a king
  6. bank — for money
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. track — a song
  9. degree — from a university
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. degree — an amount
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. bank — of a river
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. bank — for money
  16. court — of law
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. pitch — completely
  19. track — a path
  20. mug — a cup
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. mug — to rob
  23. chair — a leader
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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