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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. degree — temperature
  3. prune — to trim
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. cue — for pool
  6. shower — to wash
  7. bulb — for light
  8. degree — from a university
  9. degree — an amount
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. shower — rain
  14. prune — to trim
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. row — to paddle
  17. net — for catching
  18. net — in sport
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. cue — a hint
  22. row — a line
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. cue — a signal

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