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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: court · ball · sharp · fork · mark · foot · degree · charge

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. degree — an amount
  4. charge — a price
  5. sharp — clever
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. ball — a dance
  8. ball — a great time
  9. fork — in a road
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. degree — from a university
  12. charge — in control
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. court — of a king
  16. foot — a measure
  17. mark — a trace
  18. degree — temperature
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. charge — electricity
  21. court — for sport
  22. mark — a grade
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. court — of law

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