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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. staff — a stick
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. degree — an amount
  8. degree — temperature
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. staff — employees
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. prune — to trim
  13. chest — a box
  14. ball — a great time
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. staff — employees
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. prune — to trim
  20. chest — of your body
  21. chest — of your body
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. degree — from a university

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