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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
468
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: pitcher · court · degree · vault · ground · mate · ruler · hand

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  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 — help
  2. degree — an amount
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. court — of a king
  8. ground — the earth
  9. degree — from a university
  10. mate — a friend
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. mate — to breed
  14. vault — a safe
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. ground — crushed
  17. degree — temperature
  18. mate — a partner
  19. ground — a position
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. hand — in cards
  22. court — of law
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  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