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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. prune — to trim
  3. suit — clothes
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. degree — temperature
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. degree — from a university
  8. hand — help
  9. court — of law
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. pop — to visit
  12. face — to point toward
  13. face — to confront
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. court — of a king
  16. suit — in cards
  17. hand — in cards
  18. pop — soda
  19. court — for sport
  20. suit — to fit
  21. degree — an amount
  22. prune — to trim
  23. face — part of the head
  24. lash — to lash out

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