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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. degree — temperature
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. game — wild animals
  6. pitch — completely
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. drill — army training
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. degree — from a university
  12. board — to get on
  13. game — a match
  14. drill — the tool
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. prune — to trim
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. kick — in football
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. stem — to come from
  21. degree — an amount
  22. board — a committee
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. drill — a practice

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