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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: row · coach · mark · foot · court · saw · degree · staff

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. mark — a trace
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. foot — a measure
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. saw — the tool
  10. row — a line
  11. court — of a king
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. court — for sport
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. staff — employees
  16. saw — the tool
  17. degree — temperature
  18. staff — a stick
  19. staff — employees
  20. degree — from a university
  21. mark — a grade
  22. row — to paddle
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. degree — an amount

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