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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. spell — magic
  4. spell — a short time
  5. march — the month
  6. spell — letters
  7. rest — what's left
  8. degree — temperature
  9. court — for sport
  10. pit — in a race
  11. degree — from a university
  12. game — wild animals
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. pit — a hole
  15. rest — what's left
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. degree — an amount
  19. court — of a king
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. rest — a break
  22. march — music
  23. game — a match
  24. march — the month

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