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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 116 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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. pop — soda
  3. degree — an amount
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. prune — to trim
  6. staff — a stick
  7. cell — in biology
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. rest — a break
  10. prune — to trim
  11. degree — from a university
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. rest — what's left
  15. lie — to recline
  16. pop — music
  17. degree — temperature
  18. rest — what's left
  19. staff — employees
  20. cell — a phone
  21. pass — a permit
  22. pop — to visit
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. pass — to succeed

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