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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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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: pass · toast · saw · rock · pit · prune · file · degree

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. prune — to trim
  3. pit — a hole
  4. file — a tool
  5. degree — from a university
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. rock — a stone
  9. pass — a permit
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. toast — bread
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. rock — music
  14. saw — the tool
  15. saw — the tool
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. degree — temperature
  18. degree — an amount
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. prune — to trim
  21. file — a document
  22. pit — in a race
  23. file — a line of people
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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