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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. court — for sport
  3. degree — an amount
  4. degree — from a university
  5. last — final
  6. firm — steady
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. rush — hurry
  9. court — of law
  10. firm — a company
  11. club — for golf
  12. club — for dancing
  13. firm — decided
  14. court — of a king
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. last — to go on
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. club — a group
  22. last — finally
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. ruler — a monarch

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