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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 124 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 cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. prune — to trim
  6. can — to be able to
  7. march — the month
  8. degree — temperature
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. can — a tin
  11. mug — a face
  12. march — music
  13. mug — to rob
  14. march — the month
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. mug — a cup
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. degree — an amount
  20. degree — from a university
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. can — a tin
  23. foot — a measure
  24. foot — part of the body

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