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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: court · march · mouse · rock · bat · degree · firm · kick

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. firm — a company
  4. firm — steady
  5. bat — the animal
  6. degree — an amount
  7. march — the month
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. degree — temperature
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. court — of a king
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. court — of law
  15. rock — a stone
  16. march — the month
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. rock — music
  19. kick — in football
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. firm — decided
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. degree — from a university
  24. court — for sport

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