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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 hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. court — for sport
  3. chest — of your body
  4. degree — temperature
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. ball — a dance
  7. craft — boats
  8. court — of law
  9. chest — of your body
  10. court — of a king
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. craft — a skill
  13. rule — a law
  14. rule — government
  15. degree — an amount
  16. ball — a great time
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. chest — a box
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. mark — a grade
  23. degree — from a university
  24. jam — a tight spot

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