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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 120 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 room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. wound — an injury
  7. prune — to trim
  8. rule — a law
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. prune — to trim
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. mark — a grade
  17. snap — to click
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. wound — an injury
  20. mark — a trace
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. mine — for digging
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. rule — government

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