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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 · date · game · degree · root · rule · board · bowl

  1. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. degree — from a university
  5. degree — temperature
  6. degree — an amount
  7. board — a committee
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. game — wild animals
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. board — to get on
  14. date — the fruit
  15. court — for sport
  16. root — of a word
  17. game — a match
  18. court — of a king
  19. court — of law
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. rule — a law
  23. root — of a plant
  24. rule — government

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