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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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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: rock · wake · court · pitch · wave · degree · deal · mark

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. court — for sport
  3. mark — a grade
  4. deal — to handle
  5. rock — music
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. pitch — completely
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. mark — a trace
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. wake — a trail
  16. court — of law
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. degree — an amount
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. degree — from a university
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. degree — temperature
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. rock — a stone

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