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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. charge — in control
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. squash — the sport
  7. rock — music
  8. face — part of the head
  9. pitch — completely
  10. ground — crushed
  11. ground — a position
  12. charge — electricity
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. rock — a stone
  15. face — to point toward
  16. squash — to crush
  17. face — to confront
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. prune — to trim
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. ground — the earth
  22. charge — a price
  23. prune — to trim
  24. rock — to move gently

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