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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.

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: degree · net · bulb · wave · court · calf · season · bound

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  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. net — for catching
  2. season — in sport
  3. court — for sport
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. court — of a king
  6. degree — an amount
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. net — after costs
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. bulb — for light
  11. degree — from a university
  12. court — of law
  13. bound — tied together
  14. season — of the year
  15. bulb — for light
  16. net — in sport
  17. bound — obliged
  18. bound — certain
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. degree — temperature
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. wave — of the sea
  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