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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. prune — to trim
  3. game — a match
  4. rock — music
  5. band — a ring
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. mark — a trace
  14. rock — a stone
  15. band — a music group
  16. pitch — completely
  17. prune — to trim
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. mark — a grade
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. game — wild animals
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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