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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: deal · bulb · ground · rule · degree · court · pitcher · mouse

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. degree — from a university
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. deal — to handle
  6. bulb — for light
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. degree — an amount
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. rule — a law
  11. rule — government
  12. court — for sport
  13. court — of a king
  14. bulb — for light
  15. ground — the earth
  16. ground — a position
  17. court — of law
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. degree — temperature
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. ground — crushed

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