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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: deal · bore · chair · degree · rule · mark · bound · court

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. bore — to tire
  3. court — of law
  4. court — for sport
  5. bound — tied together
  6. bore — to drill
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. rule — a law
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. bound — certain
  11. court — of a king
  12. degree — from a university
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. rule — government
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. mark — a trace
  17. deal — to handle
  18. mark — a grade
  19. bound — obliged
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. degree — an amount
  23. degree — temperature
  24. chair — a leader

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