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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.

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: content · degree · court · present · arm · cap · stock · ball

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  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. ball — a round shape
  2. ball — a dance
  3. stock — shares
  4. degree — from a university
  5. cap — of ice
  6. ball — a great time
  7. present — there
  8. cap — a hat
  9. degree — temperature
  10. court — of law
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. content — happy
  13. court — for sport
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. cap — a lid
  17. content — the amount
  18. present — a gift
  19. present — the time now
  20. court — of a king
  21. stock — goods
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. arm — part of the body
  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