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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 get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. kick — in football
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. prune — to trim
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. hand — in cards
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. prune — to trim
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. mate — to breed
  11. pop — music
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. pitch — completely
  14. pop — to visit
  15. mate — a friend
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. mate — a partner
  18. hand — help
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. pop — soda

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