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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. court — of law
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. cell — a phone
  6. cell — in biology
  7. degree — temperature
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. degree — from a university
  10. rock — music
  11. drill — army training
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. rock — a stone
  15. degree — an amount
  16. drill — the tool
  17. drill — a practice
  18. court — for sport

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