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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: pop · snap · arm · degree · trunk · lean · court · charge

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. court — of law
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. charge — electricity
  6. charge — a price
  7. snap — to click
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. pop — music
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. pop — to visit
  13. lean — thin
  14. lean — to bend
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. degree — from a university
  18. degree — temperature
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. court — of a king
  21. charge — in control
  22. degree — an amount
  23. court — for sport
  24. lean — to rest against

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