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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. court — of law
  3. ball — a great time
  4. court — for sport
  5. club — for golf
  6. can — a tin
  7. ball — a dance
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. can — to be able to
  13. degree — temperature
  14. chest — a box
  15. club — a group
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. chest — of your body
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. chest — of your body
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. degree — from a university
  22. club — for dancing
  23. can — a tin
  24. court — of a king

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