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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. saw — the tool
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. prune — to trim
  5. rest — a break
  6. suit — clothes
  7. degree — from a university
  8. scale — size or range
  9. stock — goods
  10. stock — shares
  11. scale — in music
  12. rest — what's left
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. degree — an amount
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. saw — the tool
  18. bat — the animal
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. suit — in cards
  22. suit — to fit
  23. prune — to trim
  24. rest — what's left

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