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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: mug · scale · firm · track · court · cold · degree · rule

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. cold — an illness
  3. rule — a law
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. rule — government
  6. degree — from a university
  7. court — of a king
  8. track — a path
  9. mug — a cup
  10. court — of law
  11. firm — decided
  12. scale — in music
  13. scale — size or range
  14. degree — an amount
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. mug — to rob
  17. mug — a face
  18. track — to keep track
  19. track — a song
  20. cold — not warm
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. firm — steady
  23. court — for sport
  24. degree — temperature

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