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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: stand · game · ground · court · ball · bass · fork · degree

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. ground — the earth
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. fork — in a road
  5. court — of a king
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. ground — a position
  9. degree — temperature
  10. court — of law
  11. degree — from a university
  12. stand — to bear
  13. game — a match
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. game — wild animals
  16. bass — low music
  17. court — for sport
  18. ball — a dance
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. degree — an amount
  21. ball — a great time
  22. ground — crushed
  23. bass — the fish
  24. fork — a garden tool

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