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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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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: degree · cabinet · court · wave · object · roll · chest · calf

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. chest — a box
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. court — of a king
  5. roll — a list
  6. court — of law
  7. chest — of your body
  8. degree — from a university
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. court — for sport
  11. object — to protest
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. object — an aim
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. object — a thing
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. chest — of your body
  23. roll — a cake
  24. degree — temperature

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