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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: press · degree · march · game · kid · rock · object · trunk

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. object — an aim
  3. march — music
  4. march — the month
  5. rock — music
  6. march — the month
  7. game — wild animals
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. object — a thing
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. degree — an amount
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. kid — child
  15. press — to push
  16. press — a publisher
  17. kid — to tease
  18. rock — a stone
  19. degree — from a university
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. degree — temperature
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. object — to protest
  24. press — newspapers

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