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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. mate — to breed
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. prune — to trim
  7. drill — army training
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. charge — a price
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. degree — temperature
  12. degree — from a university
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. hand — in cards
  15. drill — a practice
  16. mate — a friend
  17. mate — a partner
  18. hand — help
  19. prune — to trim
  20. charge — in control
  21. degree — an amount
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. charge — electricity
  24. drill — the tool

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