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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 players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. plane — a tool
  3. ball — a dance
  4. degree — temperature
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. degree — from a university
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. foot — a measure
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. ball — a great time
  12. degree — an amount
  13. court — of law
  14. scale — in music
  15. court — of a king
  16. game — wild animals
  17. game — a match
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. court — for sport
  20. pitch — completely
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. scale — size or range
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. plane — an aircraft

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