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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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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: content · pit · board · prune · kid · toast · mate · degree

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. kid — child
  3. board — to get on
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. board — a committee
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. prune — to trim
  8. pit — a hole
  9. degree — from a university
  10. toast — bread
  11. content — the amount
  12. prune — to trim
  13. pit — in a race
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. mate — a friend
  16. degree — temperature
  17. mate — a partner
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. kid — to tease
  21. degree — an amount
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. mate — to breed
  24. content — happy

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