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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 people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. prune — to trim
  3. prune — to trim
  4. race — a contest
  5. cue — a hint
  6. cue — for pool
  7. shower — to wash
  8. degree — temperature
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. degree — from a university
  12. degree — an amount
  13. cue — a signal
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. mate — to breed
  16. race — humankind
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. shower — rain
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. mate — a friend
  22. dip — to sink
  23. mate — a partner
  24. race — the arms race

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