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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: date · stand · fine · spell · drill · net · degree · court

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. fine — high quality
  3. spell — magic
  4. drill — a practice
  5. degree — from a university
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. fine — all right
  9. degree — temperature
  10. spell — letters
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. net — for catching
  13. net — in sport
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. drill — the tool
  16. court — of a king
  17. date — the fruit
  18. spell — a short time
  19. drill — army training
  20. stand — to bear
  21. degree — an amount
  22. court — for sport
  23. net — after costs
  24. stand — for spectators

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