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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 116 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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. march — the month
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. court — for sport
  6. court — of law
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. degree — from a university
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. march — the month
  12. land — a country
  13. ball — a great time
  14. band — a ring
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. court — of a king
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. land — to come down
  20. march — music
  21. band — a music group
  22. degree — an amount
  23. land — ground
  24. degree — temperature

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