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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. court — of law
  3. ball — a dance
  4. bank — for money
  5. degree — temperature
  6. court — for sport
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. bank — for money
  10. bulb — for light
  11. cue — a hint
  12. degree — an amount
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. field — a subject
  16. bulb — for light
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. cue — a signal
  19. cue — for pool
  20. field — for sport
  21. degree — from a university
  22. court — of a king
  23. ball — a great time
  24. field — farmland

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