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

Word bank: degree · rock · toast · snap · bay · court · face · trunk

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. rock — a stone
  6. court — of law
  7. toast — bread
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. face — to point toward
  12. degree — temperature
  13. degree — an amount
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. rock — music
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. face — part of the head
  18. face — to confront
  19. snap — to click
  20. degree — from a university
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. court — for sport
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. rock — to move gently

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