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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.

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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: mate · degree · pitch · calf · last · dip · bowl · wave

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. mate — a friend
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. degree — temperature
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. dip — to sink
  7. pitch — completely
  8. last — finally
  9. degree — an amount
  10. mate — to breed
  11. last — final
  12. last — to go on
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. degree — from a university
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. calf — a young animal

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