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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: court · rush · game · degree · dip · firm · pit · hand

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. game — a match
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. pit — a hole
  6. court — of law
  7. firm — decided
  8. firm — a company
  9. court — for sport
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. dip — to sink
  12. game — wild animals
  13. firm — steady
  14. pit — in a race
  15. degree — temperature
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. court — of a king
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. hand — in cards
  21. rush — hurry
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. degree — from a university
  24. hand — help

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