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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 want to ________________ the boat.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. rock — a stone
  3. prune — to trim
  4. pass — a permit
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. staff — a stick
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. staff — employees
  10. degree — from a university
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. can — to be able to
  15. degree — temperature
  16. degree — an amount
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. game — a match
  19. prune — to trim
  20. game — wild animals
  21. staff — employees
  22. rock — music
  23. can — a tin
  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