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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: key · lie · prune · sharp · kid · degree · pitcher · charge

  1. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. kid — to tease
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. charge — a price
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. key — in music
  10. sharp — clever
  11. degree — from a university
  12. charge — electricity
  13. charge — in control
  14. kid — child
  15. degree — temperature
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. prune — to trim
  18. lie — to recline
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. key — the most important part
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. prune — to trim
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. key — for a lock

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