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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 university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. row — to paddle
  5. charge — in control
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. prune — to trim
  8. degree — temperature
  9. charge — a price
  10. craft — a skill
  11. charge — electricity
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. court — of law
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. prune — to trim
  16. mark — a grade
  17. court — of a king
  18. mark — a trace
  19. craft — boats
  20. court — for sport
  21. degree — an amount
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. row — a line
  24. mine — for digging

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