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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. pit — in a race
  3. net — after costs
  4. degree — from a university
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. charge — a price
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. net — in sport
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. charge — in control
  11. degree — an amount
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. wake — a trail
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. prune — to trim
  19. degree — temperature
  20. prune — to trim
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. pit — a hole
  24. net — for catching

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