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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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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: craft · degree · swing · hand · hide · content · ball · court

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. hand — in cards
  3. craft — a skill
  4. court — of a king
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. swing — to play on
  7. hand — help
  8. content — the amount
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. ball — a great time
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. degree — an amount
  14. ball — a dance
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. swing — music
  17. court — of law
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. swing — in golf
  21. court — for sport
  22. degree — from a university
  23. content — happy
  24. craft — boats

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