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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: pass · pit · cue · pound · prune · kid · mine · degree

  1. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. cue — a signal
  3. pit — in a race
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. kid — to tease
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. pit — a hole
  9. cue — for pool
  10. kid — child
  11. prune — to trim
  12. degree — an amount
  13. degree — temperature
  14. mine — for digging
  15. prune — to trim
  16. pass — a permit
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. cue — a hint
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. pound — a weight
  24. pound — for dogs

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