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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. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. date — the fruit
  5. club — a group
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. prune — to trim
  8. club — for dancing
  9. charge — a price
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. pitch — completely
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. charge — in control
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. degree — an amount
  17. degree — from a university
  18. club — for golf
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. charge — electricity
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. prune — to trim
  23. snap — to click
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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