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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. court — of a king
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. season — in sport
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. degree — temperature
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. rash — a series
  12. mark — a trace
  13. sharp — clever
  14. scale — size or range
  15. season — of the year
  16. court — of law
  17. rash — hasty
  18. degree — an amount
  19. scale — in music
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. court — for sport
  23. degree — from a university
  24. mark — to pay attention

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