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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 120 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: pit · bass · degree · cap · trunk · bound · pop · nail

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. pit — in a race
  3. cap — a hat
  4. pop — music
  5. bound — obliged
  6. cap — of ice
  7. bound — certain
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. degree — an amount
  10. pop — to visit
  11. bass — the fish
  12. bass — low music
  13. degree — from a university
  14. cap — a lid
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. pit — a hole
  18. pop — soda
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. degree — temperature
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. bound — tied together

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