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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 120 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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. net — for catching
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. squash — the sport
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. prune — to trim
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. net — in sport
  11. prune — to trim
  12. degree — temperature
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. mate — a partner
  15. degree — an amount
  16. net — after costs
  17. mate — to breed
  18. squash — to crush
  19. foot — a measure
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. mate — a friend
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. racket — a loud noise

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