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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. fork — in a road
  4. degree — an amount
  5. court — of a king
  6. rest — a break
  7. dip — to sink
  8. field — farmland
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. degree — from a university
  12. court — of law
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. field — for sport
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. field — a subject
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. rest — what's left
  22. degree — temperature
  23. rest — what's left
  24. ruler — a monarch

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