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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. pitch — completely
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. degree — from a university
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. spell — magic
  7. track — a path
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. prune — to trim
  10. degree — temperature
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. spell — letters
  14. spell — a short time
  15. degree — an amount
  16. prune — to trim
  17. track — to keep track
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. track — a song
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. wake — a trail

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