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

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. prune — to trim
  3. swing — music
  4. swing — to play on
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. pitch — completely
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. prune — to trim
  10. drill — the tool
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. cell — a phone
  13. cell — in biology
  14. net — in sport
  15. drill — a practice
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. swing — in golf
  18. drill — army training
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. net — after costs
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. net — for catching

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