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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. ball — a great time
  5. board — to get on
  6. degree — temperature
  7. degree — an amount
  8. board — a committee
  9. court — of a king
  10. kid — to tease
  11. bank — for money
  12. kid — child
  13. dip — to sink
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. court — for sport
  16. court — of law
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. bank — for money
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. bank — of a river
  22. ball — a dance
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. degree — from a university

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