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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. current — happening now
  3. season — in sport
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. present — there
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. game — wild animals
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. present — a gift
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. game — a match
  14. current — of water
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. current — electric
  17. pitch — completely
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. toast — bread
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. prune — to trim
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. season — of the year
  24. present — the time now

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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