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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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Word bank
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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: mouse · prune · degree · pit · mate · scale · jam · straw

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. prune — to trim
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. mate — a friend
  7. degree — temperature
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. degree — from a university
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. pit — a hole
  14. pit — in a race
  15. mate — a partner
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. scale — in music
  20. prune — to trim
  21. mate — to breed
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. scale — size or range
  24. mouse — the animal

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