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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. prune — to trim
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. tube — a container
  9. prune — to trim
  10. snap — to click
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. net — in sport
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. net — after costs
  17. tube — the underground
  18. degree — temperature
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. degree — an amount
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. degree — from a university
  24. net — for catching

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