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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. cue — a hint
  3. pit — in a race
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. degree — an amount
  6. cue — a signal
  7. degree — from a university
  8. pitch — completely
  9. degree — temperature
  10. prune — to trim
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. march — music
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. march — the month
  17. march — the month
  18. wake — a trail
  19. pit — a hole
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. cue — for pool
  23. prune — to trim
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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