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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: cap · club · fine · mate · chair · prune · degree · roll

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. cap — of ice
  4. fine — high quality
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. prune — to trim
  7. club — for golf
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. chair — a leader
  10. cap — a hat
  11. mate — a partner
  12. degree — from a university
  13. prune — to trim
  14. degree — an amount
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. club — for dancing
  17. cap — a lid
  18. degree — temperature
  19. mate — to breed
  20. roll — a cake
  21. club — a group
  22. mate — a friend
  23. fine — all right
  24. roll — a list

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