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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. court — of a king
  3. degree — temperature
  4. capital — money
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. court — for sport
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. degree — from a university
  9. ground — a position
  10. suit — clothes
  11. suit — in cards
  12. court — of law
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. degree — an amount
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. ground — the earth
  20. capital — a city
  21. dip — to sink
  22. ground — crushed
  23. scale — size or range
  24. suit — to fit

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