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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: face · ball · ground · mark · degree · suit · roll · court

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. ground — a position
  3. degree — from a university
  4. ground — the earth
  5. ground — crushed
  6. suit — clothes
  7. ball — a dance
  8. degree — temperature
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. degree — an amount
  11. face — to point toward
  12. suit — in cards
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. face — part of the head
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. roll — a cake
  17. mark — a trace
  18. court — of a king
  19. roll — a list
  20. court — for sport
  21. face — to confront
  22. ball — a great time
  23. suit — to fit
  24. court — of law

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