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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. prune — to trim
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. toast — bread
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. prune — to trim
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. kick — in football
  15. stock — shares
  16. stock — goods
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. degree — an amount
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. degree — temperature
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. sharp — clever

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