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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 120 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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. firm — decided
  3. ground — the earth
  4. object — a thing
  5. degree — an amount
  6. court — for sport
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. court — of a king
  9. foot — a measure
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. court — of law
  12. pound — a weight
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. object — an aim
  19. ground — crushed
  20. degree — from a university
  21. firm — steady
  22. firm — a company
  23. ground — a position
  24. degree — temperature

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