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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: degree · stem · deal · track · court · suit · drill · squash

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. suit — clothes
  3. stem — to come from
  4. track — a song
  5. track — to keep track
  6. degree — from a university
  7. court — of law
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. degree — an amount
  10. suit — to fit
  11. suit — in cards
  12. squash — to crush
  13. drill — army training
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. squash — the sport
  16. drill — the tool
  17. court — for sport
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. degree — temperature
  22. drill — a practice
  23. deal — to handle
  24. track — a path

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