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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: deal · degree · prune · ruler · pass · fall · key · court

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. prune — to trim
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. pass — a permit
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. degree — from a university
  7. court — of a king
  8. degree — an amount
  9. fall — to drop
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. fall — to drop
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. fall — the season
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. court — of law
  16. deal — to handle
  17. key — the most important part
  18. key — for a lock
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. degree — temperature
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. court — for sport
  23. prune — to trim
  24. ruler — for measuring

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