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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 was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. ball — a dance
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. prune — to trim
  6. pitch — completely
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. saw — the tool
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. suit — clothes
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. suit — to fit
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. chair — a leader
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. mine — for digging
  21. suit — in cards
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. saw — the tool
  24. prune — to trim

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