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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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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: stem · jam · degree · bowl · kid · court · rest · march

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. rest — what's left
  3. court — of a king
  4. degree — temperature
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. court — of law
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. march — the month
  9. stem — to come from
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. degree — from a university
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. kid — child
  14. march — the month
  15. kid — to tease
  16. march — music
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. rest — a break
  21. court — for sport
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. degree — an amount
  24. rest — what's left

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