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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. prune — to trim
  3. degree — from a university
  4. cap — a lid
  5. suit — in cards
  6. suit — to fit
  7. cap — a hat
  8. cap — of ice
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. suit — clothes
  11. roll — a cake
  12. degree — temperature
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. roll — a list
  15. season — in sport
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. degree — an amount
  18. file — a document
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. file — a tool
  23. season — of the year
  24. file — a line of people

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