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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.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. tear — from crying
  5. prune — to trim
  6. tear — from crying
  7. club — for golf
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. club — a group
  10. prune — to trim
  11. club — for dancing
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. tear — to rip
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. kick — in football
  18. coach — a trainer

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