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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. prune — to trim
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. deal — to handle
  5. land — ground
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. mate — to breed
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. rush — hurry
  10. land — a country
  11. land — to come down
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. degree — temperature
  15. mate — a partner
  16. mate — a friend
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. degree — an amount
  19. prune — to trim
  20. sharp — clever
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. bulb — for light
  23. degree — from a university
  24. bulb — for light

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