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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: degree · arm · rule · racket · last · court · bear · can

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. last — final
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. last — finally
  7. last — to go on
  8. rule — government
  9. degree — temperature
  10. degree — from a university
  11. can — a tin
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. court — for sport
  14. court — of law
  15. can — a tin
  16. can — to be able to
  17. bear — the animal
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. court — of a king
  20. degree — an amount
  21. rule — a law
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. bear — the animal

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