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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: degree · object · foot · stock · hide · fork · vault · court

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. degree — temperature
  4. stock — goods
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. court — of a king
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. fork — in a road
  9. foot — a measure
  10. court — for sport
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. object — a thing
  14. vault — a safe
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. degree — from a university
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. stock — shares
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. object — to protest
  23. object — an aim
  24. court — of law

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