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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
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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 · court · shower · fine · toast · ground · racket · roll

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. ground — the earth
  3. shower — rain
  4. court — of law
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. roll — a list
  7. degree — temperature
  8. roll — a cake
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. fine — all right
  13. shower — to wash
  14. court — of a king
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. toast — bread
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. ground — crushed
  20. fine — high quality
  21. degree — from a university
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. degree — an amount
  24. ground — a position

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