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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 120 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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  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. prune — the fruit
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. prune — to trim
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. mark — a grade
  7. content — the amount
  8. degree — from a university
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. content — happy
  17. degree — temperature
  18. capital — money
  19. prune — to trim
  20. mark — a trace
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. capital — a city
  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