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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. court — of law
  3. land — ground
  4. cue — a signal
  5. ball — a great time
  6. land — to come down
  7. spell — a short time
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. land — a country
  10. court — for sport
  11. craft — a skill
  12. ball — a dance
  13. staff — employees
  14. spell — magic
  15. staff — employees
  16. degree — from a university
  17. staff — a stick
  18. cue — for pool
  19. spell — letters
  20. craft — boats
  21. cue — a hint
  22. degree — an amount
  23. court — of a king
  24. craft — a handicraft

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