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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  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. mug — a cup
  2. mug — a face
  3. court — for sport
  4. degree — an amount
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. scale — in music
  7. pop — soda
  8. degree — from a university
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. scale — size or range
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. degree — temperature
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. stock — goods
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. pop — music
  20. mug — to rob
  21. pop — to visit
  22. court — of law
  23. stock — shares
  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