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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. mine — for digging
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. prune — to trim
  8. roll — a cake
  9. suit — to fit
  10. suit — clothes
  11. degree — from a university
  12. roll — a list
  13. toast — bread
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. degree — an amount
  16. degree — temperature
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. suit — in cards
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. sharp — clever

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