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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: key · court · pop · degree · bass · suit · cell · last

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. court — of law
  3. last — final
  4. bass — low music
  5. key — for a lock
  6. pop — to visit
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. key — in music
  9. court — of a king
  10. cell — in biology
  11. pop — music
  12. cell — a phone
  13. key — the most important part
  14. last — finally
  15. suit — clothes
  16. degree — an amount
  17. court — for sport
  18. degree — from a university
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. suit — in cards
  21. last — to go on
  22. pop — soda
  23. suit — to fit
  24. bass — the fish

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