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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.

Make a worksheet

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
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: temple · degree · can · game · press · court · wind · leaves

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. wind — moving air
  3. game — wild animals
  4. court — of law
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. game — a match
  7. can — a tin
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. court — of a king
  10. press — a publisher
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. can — to be able to
  14. degree — temperature
  15. press — newspapers
  16. court — for sport
  17. degree — an amount
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. wind — moving air
  21. degree — from a university
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. press — to push

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