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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 120 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 hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. prune — to trim
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. field — for sport
  6. field — a subject
  7. wound — an injury
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. prune — to trim
  10. wound — an injury
  11. rule — government
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. pitch — completely
  14. pound — a weight
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. rule — a law
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. field — farmland

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