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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 116 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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. tube — a container
  4. mate — a friend
  5. degree — an amount
  6. face — to point toward
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. face — part of the head
  9. squash — to crush
  10. prune — to trim
  11. prune — to trim
  12. mark — a grade
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. mate — a partner
  16. squash — the sport
  17. face — to confront
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. mark — a trace
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. degree — from a university
  23. degree — temperature
  24. tube — the underground

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