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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 116 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: bat · game · trunk · pass · ball · staff · degree · court

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. staff — employees
  5. court — of law
  6. degree — from a university
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. court — of a king
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. staff — employees
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. game — a match
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. staff — a stick
  15. degree — temperature
  16. pass — a permit
  17. ball — a great time
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. bat — the animal
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. ball — a dance
  23. degree — an amount
  24. court — for sport

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