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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 116 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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. court — of law
  3. rush — hurry
  4. lie — to recline
  5. court — for sport
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. degree — an amount
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. degree — temperature
  11. cell — a phone
  12. court — of a king
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. rock — music
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. cell — in biology
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. rock — a stone
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. degree — from a university
  24. pitcher — a jug

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