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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 120 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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. prune — to trim
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. face — part of the head
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. face — to confront
  9. rule — government
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. face — to point toward
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. rule — a law
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. degree — an amount
  22. prune — to trim
  23. pitch — completely
  24. degree — temperature

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