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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. degree — an amount
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. pop — music
  5. suit — to fit
  6. pop — to visit
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. court — of law
  9. degree — from a university
  10. suit — clothes
  11. ball — a dance
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. court — of a king
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. pop — soda
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. ball — a great time
  19. mug — to rob
  20. mug — a cup
  21. court — for sport
  22. suit — in cards
  23. mug — a face
  24. degree — temperature

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