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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. cell — a phone
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. cue — a signal
  6. cell — in biology
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. club — a group
  9. current — happening now
  10. prune — to trim
  11. fall — the season
  12. current — of water
  13. fall — to drop
  14. degree — an amount
  15. cue — for pool
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. club — for golf
  18. degree — temperature
  19. club — for dancing
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. cue — a hint
  22. prune — to trim
  23. current — electric
  24. fall — to drop

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