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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: cabinet · trunk · court · degree · swing · fine · suit · face

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. face — to point toward
  3. court — of law
  4. swing — to play on
  5. degree — temperature
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. fine — high quality
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. face — part of the head
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. fine — all right
  14. court — for sport
  15. swing — music
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. court — of a king
  18. suit — in cards
  19. degree — from a university
  20. suit — clothes
  21. degree — an amount
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. suit — to fit
  24. swing — in golf

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