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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: roll · rush · stand · rest · degree · court · tear · wake

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. roll — a list
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. rest — a break
  6. court — of a king
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. rush — hurry
  9. degree — from a university
  10. roll — a cake
  11. degree — an amount
  12. wake — a trail
  13. court — for sport
  14. degree — temperature
  15. tear — from crying
  16. rest — what's left
  17. rest — what's left
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. tear — from crying
  20. tear — to rip
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. stand — to bear

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