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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: pit · hand · cabinet · board · mug · roll · court · degree

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. roll — a list
  4. hand — in cards
  5. degree — temperature
  6. court — of law
  7. hand — help
  8. mug — a face
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. degree — an amount
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. mug — to rob
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. court — for sport
  15. board — to get on
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. pit — in a race
  18. degree — from a university
  19. board — a committee
  20. mug — a cup
  21. roll — a cake
  22. court — of a king
  23. pit — a hole
  24. cabinet — ministers

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