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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. degree — from a university
  3. mine — for digging
  4. mug — a face
  5. rock — a stone
  6. craft — boats
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. mug — a cup
  9. row — to paddle
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. prune — to trim
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. craft — a skill
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. degree — an amount
  16. fine — high quality
  17. degree — temperature
  18. mug — to rob
  19. prune — to trim
  20. fine — all right
  21. rock — music
  22. row — a line
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. craft — a handicraft

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