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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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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: rock · foot · court · degree · squash · chair · ruler · arm

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. rock — a stone
  4. court — for sport
  5. degree — an amount
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. squash — the sport
  8. degree — from a university
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. degree — temperature
  12. foot — a measure
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. squash — to crush
  15. chair — a leader
  16. court — of law
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. rock — music
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. court — of a king

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