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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. rock — a stone
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. prune — to trim
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. mine — for digging
  11. prune — to trim
  12. wound — an injury
  13. rush — hurry
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. wound — an injury
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. degree — from a university
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. bat — the animal
  21. degree — an amount
  22. stand — to bear
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. rock — music

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