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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: net · deal · pitcher · degree · fork · wave · track · bowl

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. net — in sport
  7. track — a path
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. track — a song
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. degree — temperature
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. deal — to handle
  19. net — for catching
  20. net — after costs
  21. track — to keep track
  22. fork — in a road
  23. degree — from a university
  24. degree — an amount

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