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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 116 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
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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: prune · pit · mouse · last · degree · season · swing · can

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. can — to be able to
  3. degree — from a university
  4. prune — to trim
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. pit — a hole
  7. degree — temperature
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. season — of the year
  10. swing — in golf
  11. can — a tin
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. last — finally
  15. last — final
  16. pit — in a race
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. swing — music
  19. last — to go on
  20. prune — to trim
  21. season — in sport
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. degree — an amount
  24. swing — to play 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