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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 116 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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. prune — to trim
  4. degree — from a university
  5. mug — to rob
  6. mug — a face
  7. hand — help
  8. club — a group
  9. pit — a hole
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. degree — temperature
  12. club — for golf
  13. face — to point toward
  14. hand — in cards
  15. prune — to trim
  16. face — to confront
  17. club — for dancing
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. face — part of the head
  20. pit — in a race
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. mug — a cup
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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