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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 116 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 cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. court — of a king
  3. land — to come down
  4. degree — from a university
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. saw — the tool
  7. board — a committee
  8. land — a country
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. rash — a series
  11. mark — a trace
  12. rash — hasty
  13. mark — a grade
  14. court — for sport
  15. court — of law
  16. degree — temperature
  17. land — ground
  18. board — to get on
  19. saw — the tool
  20. suit — in cards
  21. degree — an amount
  22. suit — to fit
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. board — a flat piece

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