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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. key — the most important part
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. chair — a leader
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. suit — in cards
  10. key — in music
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. pitch — completely
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. key — for a lock
  19. foot — a measure
  20. suit — to fit
  21. prune — to trim
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. wake — a trail
  24. suit — clothes

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