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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 124 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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. degree — from a university
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. degree — temperature
  5. ball — a dance
  6. court — of a king
  7. wound — an injury
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. degree — an amount
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. firm — decided
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. ball — a great time
  14. staff — employees
  15. court — for sport
  16. staff — employees
  17. stand — to bear
  18. court — of law
  19. firm — a company
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. firm — steady
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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