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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: mark · cabinet · pop · roll · court · mate · degree · lie

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. court — of a king
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. pop — to visit
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. mate — to breed
  7. degree — from a university
  8. degree — an amount
  9. mate — a friend
  10. mark — a trace
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. court — for sport
  14. pop — music
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. mate — a partner
  17. mark — a grade
  18. lie — to recline
  19. pop — soda
  20. roll — a list
  21. degree — temperature
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. court — of law
  24. cabinet — ministers

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