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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. scale — size or range
  3. degree — an amount
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. degree — temperature
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. rock — a stone
  8. court — of a king
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. court — for sport
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. court — of law
  13. capital — a city
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. chest — of your body
  16. degree — from a university
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. rock — music
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. capital — money
  22. scale — in music
  23. rush — hurry
  24. chest — of your body

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