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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. foot — a measure
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. capital — money
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. bore — to tire
  8. degree — from a university
  9. bore — to drill
  10. rash — a series
  11. capital — a city
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. prune — to trim
  15. sharp — clever
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. rash — hasty
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. degree — temperature
  20. prune — to trim
  21. degree — an amount
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. capital — a big letter

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