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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: wave · toast · pass · leaves · press · court · degree · cap

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. degree — temperature
  4. court — for sport
  5. press — to push
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. toast — bread
  8. pass — a permit
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. press — a publisher
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. court — of a king
  15. cap — a hat
  16. degree — from a university
  17. press — newspapers
  18. cap — of ice
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. cap — a lid
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. degree — an amount
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. toast — the most admired

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