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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: dip · arm · root · bulb · last · degree · drill · court

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  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. degree — temperature
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. degree — an amount
  5. court — for sport
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. drill — a practice
  8. last — final
  9. root — the cause
  10. last — to go on
  11. root — of a plant
  12. last — finally
  13. dip — to sink
  14. bulb — for light
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. court — of law
  17. drill — the tool
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. root — of a word
  20. bulb — for light
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. drill — army training
  23. bulb — of a plant
  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