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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. wound — an injury
  4. prune — to trim
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. file — a tool
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. ball — a great time
  10. file — a line of people
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. mark — a trace
  14. wound — an injury
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. pitch — completely
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. file — a document
  21. ball — a dance
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. mark — a grade

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