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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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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: kid · deal · wax · pitcher · pass · degree · stick · pop

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. degree — temperature
  6. kid — to tease
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. degree — from a university
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. pop — music
  13. deal — to handle
  14. pass — a permit
  15. kid — child
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. wax — to grow
  18. pop — soda
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. degree — an amount
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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