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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: pit · degree · wake · court · kid · wave · key · staff

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. pit — a hole
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. kid — child
  5. staff — a stick
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. staff — employees
  8. degree — temperature
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. court — of law
  11. key — for a lock
  12. degree — an amount
  13. degree — from a university
  14. key — in music
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. staff — employees
  17. key — the most important part
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. pit — in a race
  21. court — for sport
  22. wake — a trail
  23. court — of a king
  24. kid — to tease

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