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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 116 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: mine · ball · pass · mark · band · calf · court · degree

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. mark — a grade
  4. court — of a king
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. degree — temperature
  8. court — for sport
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. degree — an amount
  11. band — a music group
  12. ball — a dance
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. degree — from a university
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. mine — for digging
  19. pass — a permit
  20. ball — a great time
  21. court — of law
  22. band — a ring
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. ball — a round shape

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