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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 · court · bulb · coach · pit · tube · can · hand

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. tube — a container
  4. pit — in a race
  5. bulb — for light
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. can — a tin
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. court — of a king
  10. degree — temperature
  11. can — to be able to
  12. degree — an amount
  13. can — a tin
  14. tube — the underground
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. pit — a hole
  17. hand — help
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. degree — from a university
  21. court — of law
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. bulb — for light
  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