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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: mate · court · degree · bulb · ground · mouse · capital · firm

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. firm — steady
  3. court — of law
  4. ground — the earth
  5. mate — a friend
  6. firm — decided
  7. degree — temperature
  8. mate — to breed
  9. court — for sport
  10. ground — a position
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. bulb — for light
  13. degree — from a university
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. capital — a city
  18. court — of a king
  19. mate — a partner
  20. degree — an amount
  21. firm — a company
  22. bulb — for light
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. ground — crushed

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