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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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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: kid · trunk · cabinet · staff · pit · wake · degree · rule

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. staff — employees
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. staff — a stick
  6. rule — government
  7. pit — a hole
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. wake — a trail
  12. degree — an amount
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. degree — temperature
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. rule — a law
  17. degree — from a university
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. pit — in a race
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. kid — to tease
  24. kid — child

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