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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: court · rest · degree · pound · hide · shower · pit · cabinet

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. pit — a hole
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. rest — a break
  6. pound — a weight
  7. rest — what's left
  8. degree — from a university
  9. shower — rain
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. pit — in a race
  14. shower — to wash
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. degree — an amount
  17. court — of law
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. degree — temperature
  20. court — of a king
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. court — for sport
  23. rest — what's left
  24. pound — to hit hard

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