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

Word bank: craft · degree · pit · pound · hide · swing · rule · court

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. rule — a law
  3. degree — from a university
  4. pound — a weight
  5. swing — in golf
  6. court — of a king
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. swing — music
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. pit — in a race
  12. degree — an amount
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. craft — boats
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. swing — to play on
  17. court — of law
  18. degree — temperature
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. court — for sport
  21. rule — government
  22. pit — a hole
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. craft — a skill

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