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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. capital — money
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. sharp — clever
  5. degree — from a university
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. ball — a dance
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. mark — a grade
  12. capital — a city
  13. ball — a great time
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. degree — an amount
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. mark — a trace
  22. court — of a king
  23. court — for sport
  24. court — of law

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