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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. degree — temperature
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. degree — an amount
  5. court — of a king
  6. pit — in a race
  7. court — for sport
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. court — of law
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. degree — from a university
  14. bank — for money
  15. shower — to wash
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. bat — the animal
  18. bank — for money
  19. pit — a hole
  20. shower — rain
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. bank — of a river
  23. deal — to handle
  24. bat — for baseball

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