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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.

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: staff · pop · arm · craft · ball · court · degree · chest

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. chest — a box
  3. chest — of your body
  4. degree — an amount
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. chest — of your body
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. pop — to visit
  9. ball — a great time
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. ball — a dance
  12. staff — employees
  13. staff — a stick
  14. craft — a skill
  15. staff — employees
  16. degree — temperature
  17. degree — from a university
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. pop — soda
  20. craft — boats
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. pop — music
  23. court — of law
  24. court — for sport

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