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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 116 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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. net — after costs
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. prune — to trim
  7. pitch — completely
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. degree — from a university
  10. degree — temperature
  11. net — for catching
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. degree — an amount
  14. shower — to wash
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. mug — a cup
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. mug — to rob
  20. mug — a face
  21. shower — rain
  22. net — in sport
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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