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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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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: mug · pit · bear · degree · ball · row · chair · court

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. mug — a face
  4. row — a line
  5. pit — a hole
  6. court — of law
  7. mug — to rob
  8. row — to paddle
  9. degree — temperature
  10. degree — an amount
  11. court — for sport
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. court — of a king
  14. ball — a dance
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. mug — a cup
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. ball — a great time
  20. pit — in a race
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. bear — the animal
  23. bear — the animal
  24. chair — a leader

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