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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. prune — to trim
  4. staff — a stick
  5. lean — to bend
  6. staff — employees
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. pitch — completely
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. bat — the animal
  13. lean — thin
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. degree — temperature
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. staff — employees
  18. degree — from a university
  19. fork — in a road
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. degree — an amount
  23. prune — to trim
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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