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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: degree · pop · jam · firm · trunk · ball · bound · bat

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. pop — soda
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. bound — certain
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. pop — to visit
  8. pop — music
  9. degree — from a university
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. firm — a company
  15. bound — tied together
  16. firm — decided
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. ball — a dance
  19. degree — temperature
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. firm — steady
  22. degree — an amount
  23. bound — obliged
  24. bat — the animal

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