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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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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: degree · bat · mate · rest · court · wax · deal · cap

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. court — of a king
  3. degree — temperature
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. degree — an amount
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. court — for sport
  8. rest — a break
  9. court — of law
  10. cap — a lid
  11. wax — to grow
  12. rest — what's left
  13. cap — a hat
  14. mate — a friend
  15. bat — the animal
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. degree — from a university
  19. mate — a partner
  20. deal — to handle
  21. mate — to breed
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. cap — of ice

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