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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: suit · tube · prune · degree · net · march · game · toast

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. degree — temperature
  3. toast — bread
  4. march — music
  5. net — for catching
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. suit — to fit
  8. net — in sport
  9. suit — in cards
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. prune — to trim
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. suit — clothes
  14. game — wild animals
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. degree — from a university
  18. game — a match
  19. net — after costs
  20. march — the month
  21. prune — to trim
  22. tube — a container
  23. tube — the underground
  24. march — the month

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