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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. season — in sport
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. net — after costs
  6. hand — in cards
  7. mug — a face
  8. degree — temperature
  9. degree — from a university
  10. stand — to bear
  11. mug — a cup
  12. net — in sport
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. net — for catching
  15. mug — to rob
  16. hand — help
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. vault — a safe
  19. degree — an amount
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. prune — to trim
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. season — of the year

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