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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: bass · stand · key · court · degree · current · suit · clip

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. key — the most important part
  3. degree — an amount
  4. clip — for paper
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. current — happening now
  7. court — of law
  8. court — of a king
  9. degree — from a university
  10. suit — to fit
  11. key — in music
  12. clip — to cut
  13. clip — a video
  14. stand — to bear
  15. suit — in cards
  16. current — electric
  17. key — for a lock
  18. bass — low music
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. degree — temperature
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. current — of water
  23. bass — the fish
  24. suit — clothes

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