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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 116 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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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 · stick · degree · ground · wind · racket · rest · scale

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. rest — what's left
  3. degree — temperature
  4. rest — what's left
  5. ground — crushed
  6. ground — the earth
  7. scale — size or range
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. court — of a king
  11. wind — moving air
  12. scale — in music
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. degree — from a university
  16. ground — a position
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. rest — a break
  19. court — of law
  20. degree — an amount
  21. court — for sport
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. wind — moving air

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