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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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  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. court — for sport
  2. court — of a king
  3. degree — an amount
  4. cap — of ice
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. bore — to tire
  7. court — of law
  8. fall — to drop
  9. cap — a hat
  10. cap — a lid
  11. degree — from a university
  12. fall — the season
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. lie — to recline
  17. bore — to drill
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. fall — to drop
  21. pound — a weight
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. calf — a young animal
  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