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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. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. club — for golf
  3. tear — from crying
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. prune — to trim
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. bulb — for light
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. chip — for betting
  12. board — to get on
  13. prune — to trim
  14. chip — to eat
  15. board — a committee
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. tear — to rip
  18. club — for dancing
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. tear — from crying
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. club — a group
  23. bulb — for light
  24. board — a flat piece

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