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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: ground · craft · temple · degree · game · dip · court · cap

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. degree — from a university
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. game — a match
  5. game — wild animals
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. court — for sport
  8. degree — an amount
  9. ground — the earth
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. cap — of ice
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. craft — boats
  14. craft — a skill
  15. court — of law
  16. ground — a position
  17. dip — to sink
  18. cap — a lid
  19. ground — crushed
  20. degree — temperature
  21. court — of a king
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. temple — a place of worship

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