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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: court · bay · fall · calf · mine · rule · degree · bass

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. fall — to drop
  3. court — of a king
  4. degree — an amount
  5. court — of law
  6. mine — for digging
  7. fall — the season
  8. court — for sport
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. degree — temperature
  11. degree — from a university
  12. bass — low music
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. rule — government
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. fall — to drop
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. bass — the fish
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. rule — a law

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