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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 120 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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. degree — temperature
  3. court — of a king
  4. court — of law
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. ball — a dance
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. fall — the season
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. fall — to drop
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. craft — boats
  14. court — for sport
  15. fall — to drop
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. ball — a great time
  18. craft — a skill
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. bark — to shout
  24. degree — an amount

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