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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: rule · board · staff · court · arm · degree · cap · pop

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. degree — an amount
  3. cap — a hat
  4. staff — a stick
  5. pop — soda
  6. court — of law
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. staff — employees
  9. pop — music
  10. degree — temperature
  11. staff — employees
  12. board — a committee
  13. rule — a law
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. court — for sport
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. degree — from a university
  19. rule — government
  20. pop — to visit
  21. cap — of ice
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. court — of a king
  24. cap — a lid

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