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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: fan · degree · pit · board · trunk · bound · shower · kick

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. bound — certain
  4. shower — rain
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. pit — a hole
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. bound — obliged
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. degree — from a university
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. kick — in football
  15. pit — in a race
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. degree — an amount
  18. shower — to wash
  19. board — to get on
  20. bound — tied together
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. board — a committee
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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