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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. mate — to breed
  3. degree — temperature
  4. bark — to shout
  5. bear — the animal
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. scale — size or range
  8. degree — from a university
  9. court — for sport
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. rock — a stone
  12. mate — a partner
  13. court — of law
  14. degree — an amount
  15. bear — the animal
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. rock — music
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. mate — a friend
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. scale — in music
  24. bowl — a dish

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