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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. can — a tin
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. prune — to trim
  9. present — a gift
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. kid — to tease
  12. present — the time now
  13. degree — temperature
  14. present — there
  15. can — to be able to
  16. degree — from a university
  17. sharp — clever
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. ball — a dance
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. ball — a great time
  22. degree — an amount
  23. kid — child
  24. can — a tin

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