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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: degree · pop · bowl · rule · court · snap · sharp · toast

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. degree — temperature
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. rule — government
  8. court — of law
  9. toast — bread
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. pop — music
  12. degree — an amount
  13. pop — soda
  14. sharp — clever
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. degree — from a university
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. court — for sport
  21. snap — to click
  22. pop — to visit
  23. rule — a law
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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