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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: mine · leaves · bay · court · arm · fine · degree · deal

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. degree — from a university
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. court — of law
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. degree — temperature
  10. mine — for digging
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. degree — an amount
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. fine — high quality
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. court — of a king
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. fine — all right
  24. deal — to handle

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