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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · field · wax · key · degree · craft · ball · bore

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. ball — a great time
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. bore — to drill
  6. court — for sport
  7. field — farmland
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. wax — to grow
  10. key — in music
  11. key — for a lock
  12. degree — temperature
  13. ball — a dance
  14. craft — a skill
  15. degree — from a university
  16. degree — an amount
  17. bore — to tire
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. craft — boats
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. key — the most important part
  22. field — for sport
  23. court — of law
  24. field — a subject

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