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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: bat · lean · court · ball · degree · mug · toast · scale

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. degree — an amount
  3. ball — a great time
  4. mug — to rob
  5. scale — size or range
  6. bat — the animal
  7. court — for sport
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. degree — from a university
  10. lean — thin
  11. mug — a cup
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. toast — bread
  14. scale — in music
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. degree — temperature
  17. court — of law
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. court — of a king
  20. lean — to bend
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. mug — a face
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. toast — the most admired

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