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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. prune — to trim
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. spell — letters
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. staff — employees
  8. game — a match
  9. game — wild animals
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. chair — a leader
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. prune — to trim
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. staff — a stick
  18. deal — to handle
  19. staff — employees
  20. rule — government
  21. spell — magic
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. rule — a law
  24. spell — a short time

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