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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 120 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. court — of law
  3. charge — electricity
  4. court — of a king
  5. fine — all right
  6. scale — in music
  7. scale — size or range
  8. charge — in control
  9. bank — of a river
  10. court — for sport
  11. bank — for money
  12. degree — temperature
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. degree — an amount
  16. charge — a price
  17. fine — high quality
  18. degree — from a university

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