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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. kid — child
  3. kid — to tease
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. degree — temperature
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. kick — in football
  9. ball — a great time
  10. prune — to trim
  11. capital — money
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. prune — to trim
  14. pitch — completely
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. degree — an amount
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. ball — a dance
  24. capital — a city

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