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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: prune · vault · deal · pit · last · degree · rest · mug

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. mug — a cup
  3. vault — a safe
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. pit — in a race
  6. deal — to handle
  7. mug — to rob
  8. rest — what's left
  9. degree — temperature
  10. degree — from a university
  11. last — finally
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. mug — a face
  14. degree — an amount
  15. last — final
  16. rest — what's left
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. rest — a break
  22. prune — to trim
  23. prune — to trim
  24. last — to go on

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