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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: cap · degree · ball · pit · cabinet · bowl · court · pitcher

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. cap — a hat
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. ball — a dance
  7. ball — a great time
  8. court — of law
  9. cap — of ice
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. degree — temperature
  12. pit — a hole
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. cap — a lid
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. pit — in a race
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. court — for sport
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. degree — an amount
  24. degree — from a university

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