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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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. prune — to trim
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. degree — temperature
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. suit — to fit
  8. suit — in cards
  9. ground — the earth
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. prune — to trim
  12. degree — from a university
  13. fine — high quality
  14. bank — of a river
  15. hand — help
  16. bank — for money
  17. bank — for money
  18. suit — clothes
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. fine — all right
  22. ground — crushed
  23. ground — a position
  24. hand — in cards

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