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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  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. court — of law
  2. can — to be able to
  3. court — for sport
  4. object — an aim
  5. object — a thing
  6. degree — temperature
  7. saw — the tool
  8. squash — to crush
  9. saw — the tool
  10. ground — crushed
  11. object — to protest
  12. cue — a signal
  13. cue — a hint
  14. court — of a king
  15. ground — a position
  16. can — a tin
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. ground — the earth
  20. squash — the sport
  21. cue — for pool
  22. can — a tin
  23. degree — an amount
  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