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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 120 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: land · bowl · degree · arm · court · object · net · pop

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. net — after costs
  3. net — in sport
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. object — to protest
  6. land — a country
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. land — ground
  9. pop — to visit
  10. pop — music
  11. court — of law
  12. pop — soda
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. court — of a king
  15. object — a thing
  16. land — to come down
  17. court — for sport
  18. degree — from a university
  19. degree — an amount
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. net — for catching
  22. object — an aim
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. degree — temperature

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