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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. degree — temperature
  4. court — of law
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. march — the month
  7. degree — an amount
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. march — the month
  11. press — a publisher
  12. bear — the animal
  13. court — for sport
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. court — of a king
  17. bear — the animal
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. degree — from a university
  21. press — to push
  22. press — newspapers
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. march — music

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