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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. degree — temperature
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. cap — a lid
  6. wind — moving air
  7. board — a committee
  8. degree — an amount
  9. court — of a king
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. cap — of ice
  13. pound — a weight
  14. cap — a hat
  15. bat — the animal
  16. board — to get on
  17. press — to push
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. degree — from a university
  20. court — for sport
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. press — a publisher
  23. press — newspapers
  24. bat — for baseball

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