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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 116 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: march · court · rule · stock · pop · spell · degree · calf

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. spell — a short time
  3. pop — to visit
  4. degree — temperature
  5. degree — an amount
  6. pop — soda
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. march — music
  9. degree — from a university
  10. march — the month
  11. stock — goods
  12. spell — letters
  13. march — the month
  14. court — of a king
  15. court — of law
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. rule — a law
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. spell — magic
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. court — for sport
  22. rule — government
  23. pop — music
  24. calf — a young animal

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