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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. stand — to bear
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. key — for a lock
  5. court — for sport
  6. can — a tin
  7. court — of law
  8. can — to be able to
  9. game — wild animals
  10. roll — a list
  11. key — the most important part
  12. cue — for pool
  13. key — in music
  14. degree — an amount
  15. degree — from a university
  16. degree — temperature
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. roll — a cake
  20. court — of a king
  21. cue — a signal
  22. cue — a hint
  23. game — a match
  24. stand — for spectators

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