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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 116 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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  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. prune — to trim
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. net — in sport
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. deal — to handle
  8. cap — a hat
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. net — after costs
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. cap — a lid
  15. pitch — completely
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. shower — to wash
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. net — for catching
  20. cap — of ice
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. shower — rain
  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