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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. degree — from a university
  3. present — a gift
  4. fine — high quality
  5. degree — an amount
  6. net — in sport
  7. prune — to trim
  8. can — to be able to
  9. can — a tin
  10. tear — from crying
  11. fine — all right
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. tear — from crying
  14. net — for catching
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. present — the time now
  17. lean — to bend
  18. lean — thin
  19. prune — to trim
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. tear — to rip
  22. net — after costs
  23. can — a tin
  24. present — there

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