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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 cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. rush — hurry
  7. game — wild animals
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. game — a match
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. toast — bread
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. prune — to trim
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. press — to push
  17. stock — goods
  18. press — a publisher
  19. press — newspapers
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. stock — shares
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. pitch — completely

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