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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. degree — temperature
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. key — in music
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. pop — music
  9. pop — soda
  10. court — of a king
  11. rest — a break
  12. chip — for betting
  13. rest — what's left
  14. chip — to eat
  15. key — the most important part
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. court — of law
  18. key — for a lock
  19. game — a match
  20. rest — what's left
  21. court — for sport
  22. pop — to visit
  23. degree — an amount
  24. game — wild animals

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