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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: dip · squash · arm · court · ball · chest · roll · degree

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. degree — from a university
  3. squash — the sport
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. chest — a box
  6. squash — to crush
  7. court — of a king
  8. chest — of your body
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. chest — of your body
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. court — of law
  14. court — for sport
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. dip — to sink
  17. degree — an amount
  18. ball — a great time
  19. roll — a cake
  20. degree — temperature
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. roll — a list
  24. ball — a dance

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