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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 ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. cell — in biology
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. chip — for betting
  8. court — of a king
  9. cell — a phone
  10. prune — to trim
  11. degree — from a university
  12. chip — to eat
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. pass — a permit
  15. degree — temperature
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. court — of law
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. court — for sport
  21. prune — to trim
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. degree — an amount
  24. chip — in a computer

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