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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 room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. track — a song
  3. fall — to drop
  4. bore — to drill
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. march — the month
  7. rash — hasty
  8. prune — to trim
  9. rash — a series
  10. march — music
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. track — to keep track
  13. root — the cause
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. fall — the season
  16. root — of a word
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. track — a path
  19. root — of a plant
  20. fall — to drop
  21. bore — to tire
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. prune — to trim
  24. march — the month

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