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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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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: bowl · wave · suit · degree · rest · saw · pop · kick

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. rest — what's left
  3. degree — an amount
  4. pop — to visit
  5. suit — to fit
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. saw — the tool
  11. pop — soda
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. rest — what's left
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. rest — a break
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. degree — from a university
  18. degree — temperature
  19. suit — in cards
  20. saw — the tool
  21. suit — clothes
  22. kick — in football
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. wave — of the sea

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