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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. pop — music
  4. root — the cause
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. root — of a word
  7. root — of a plant
  8. snap — to click
  9. degree — from a university
  10. pop — to visit
  11. court — of law
  12. degree — an amount
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. bat — the animal
  17. pop — soda
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. degree — temperature
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. court — of a king

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