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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: court · face · mark · deal · degree · stock · club · foot

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. court — of law
  3. mark — a trace
  4. degree — from a university
  5. foot — a measure
  6. deal — to handle
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. club — a group
  9. stock — goods
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. degree — an amount
  13. face — part of the head
  14. club — for dancing
  15. face — to point toward
  16. court — of a king
  17. court — for sport
  18. stock — shares
  19. mark — a grade
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. degree — temperature
  23. club — for golf
  24. face — to confront

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