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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. saw — the tool
  3. saw — the tool
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. prune — to trim
  7. can — a tin
  8. race — a contest
  9. pass — a permit
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. can — a tin
  12. race — the arms race
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. band — a music group
  16. can — to be able to
  17. prune — to trim
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. degree — an amount
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. race — humankind
  22. band — a ring
  23. degree — temperature
  24. pitcher — a jug

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