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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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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: trunk · degree · cap · toast · court · pop · dip · nail

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. dip — to sink
  5. toast — bread
  6. cap — of ice
  7. degree — an amount
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. court — for sport
  10. degree — from a university
  11. court — of law
  12. cap — a lid
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. degree — temperature
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. pop — soda
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. pop — to visit
  23. cap — a hat
  24. pop — music

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