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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: bound · racket · mate · land · key · plane · degree · court

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. court — of a king
  3. court — for sport
  4. key — in music
  5. land — ground
  6. degree — from a university
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. mate — a friend
  11. land — a country
  12. key — the most important part
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. bound — obliged
  15. mate — a partner
  16. mate — to breed
  17. court — of law
  18. bound — certain
  19. land — to come down
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. key — for a lock
  22. degree — an amount
  23. bound — tied together
  24. plane — a 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