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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. mug — to rob
  3. degree — temperature
  4. prune — to trim
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. mate — a partner
  7. bulb — for light
  8. mate — a friend
  9. mate — to breed
  10. net — after costs
  11. degree — from a university
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. bulb — for light
  14. court — of law
  15. degree — an amount
  16. net — for catching
  17. prune — to trim
  18. lie — to recline
  19. court — of a king
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. mug — a cup
  22. mug — a face
  23. court — for sport
  24. net — in sport

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