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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. shower — to wash
  3. degree — temperature
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. degree — from a university
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. lie — to recline
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. prune — to trim
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. shower — rain
  17. degree — an amount
  18. prune — to trim

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