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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: tube · bay · fine · pitcher · court · mug · degree · roll

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. degree — from a university
  3. court — of law
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. tube — the underground
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. mug — a cup
  9. degree — temperature
  10. roll — a list
  11. fine — high quality
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. degree — an amount
  16. mug — a face
  17. court — for sport
  18. tube — a container
  19. fine — all right
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. roll — a cake
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. mug — to rob

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