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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. prune — to trim
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. degree — temperature
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. staff — employees
  9. race — the arms race
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. squash — the sport
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. staff — a stick
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. degree — from a university
  16. squash — to crush
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. prune — to trim
  19. staff — employees
  20. race — humankind
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. race — a contest
  24. degree — an amount

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