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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: row · degree · rush · prune · mate · pit · season · content

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. degree — from a university
  3. pit — a hole
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. prune — to trim
  6. row — to paddle
  7. rush — hurry
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. season — in sport
  13. mate — to breed
  14. season — of the year
  15. prune — to trim
  16. mate — a friend
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. content — happy
  19. degree — an amount
  20. row — a line
  21. pit — in a race
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. content — the amount
  24. mate — a partner

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