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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: pass · foot · bat · degree · trunk · saw · cabinet · capital

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. bat — the animal
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. degree — temperature
  7. degree — from a university
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. capital — a city
  11. capital — money
  12. pass — a permit
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. saw — the tool
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. saw — the tool
  23. foot — a measure
  24. degree — an amount

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