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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. row — to paddle
  3. court — of law
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. degree — temperature
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. row — a line
  8. chest — a box
  9. wake — a trail
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. chest — of your body
  13. prune — to trim
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. degree — an amount
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. pound — a weight
  18. degree — from a university
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. pitch — completely
  21. court — for sport
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. chest — of your body
  24. prune — to trim

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