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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: roll · clip · deal · degree · pound · temple · court · bass

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. court — for sport
  3. bass — the fish
  4. pound — a weight
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. court — of a king
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. court — of law
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. bass — low music
  11. roll — a cake
  12. degree — temperature
  13. roll — a list
  14. deal — to handle
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. clip — to cut
  18. clip — for paper
  19. degree — from a university
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. clip — a video
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. degree — an amount
  24. roll — on a roll

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