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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: shower · foot · degree · ball · nail · prune · bat · pass

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. bat — the animal
  4. ball — a great time
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. ball — a dance
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. degree — temperature
  11. prune — to trim
  12. foot — a measure
  13. degree — from a university
  14. degree — an amount
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. pass — a permit
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. shower — rain
  20. shower — to wash
  21. prune — to trim
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. bat — in an idiom

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