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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: capital · pit · trunk · roll · pass · degree · cabinet · court

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. roll — a cake
  5. court — for sport
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. degree — temperature
  8. court — of law
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. court — of a king
  11. degree — an amount
  12. degree — from a university
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. capital — money
  16. pass — a permit
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. roll — a list
  21. pit — in a race
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. capital — a city
  24. pit — a hole

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