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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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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: rash · cue · degree · safe · court · prune · lash · pitch

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. degree — an amount
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. court — of law
  5. prune — to trim
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. cue — for pool
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. court — for sport
  12. cue — a hint
  13. degree — from a university
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. rash — hasty
  16. pitch — completely
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. cue — a signal
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. court — of a king
  21. prune — to trim
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. degree — temperature
  24. pitch — a sports field

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