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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: capital · pitcher · net · track · key · wave · spell · degree

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. degree — from a university
  3. capital — money
  4. capital — a city
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. spell — magic
  7. net — for catching
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. key — in music
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. degree — an amount
  12. track — a song
  13. net — after costs
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. track — a path
  17. degree — temperature
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. key — for a lock
  21. net — in sport
  22. spell — letters
  23. key — the most important part
  24. spell — a short time

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