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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. key — for a lock
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. degree — from a university
  6. key — in music
  7. prune — to trim
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. key — the most important part
  13. sharp — clever
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. deal — to handle
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. degree — an amount
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. rock — a stone
  20. degree — temperature
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. rock — music
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. temple — a place of worship

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