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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. plane — a tool
  4. present — a gift
  5. prune — to trim
  6. present — the time now
  7. content — the amount
  8. game — wild animals
  9. degree — temperature
  10. march — the month
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. degree — an amount
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. game — a match
  15. content — happy
  16. march — music
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. degree — from a university
  20. march — the month
  21. prune — to trim
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. present — there

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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