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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 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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. suit — to fit
  3. roll — a list
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. degree — temperature
  6. degree — an amount
  7. degree — from a university
  8. file — a tool
  9. tube — a container
  10. tube — the underground
  11. court — of law
  12. suit — in cards
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. ball — a great time
  15. file — a line of people
  16. file — a document
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. bound — certain
  19. ball — a dance
  20. court — for sport
  21. roll — a cake
  22. bound — obliged
  23. suit — clothes
  24. bound — tied together

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