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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 players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  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. pitch — a sports field
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. prune — to trim
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. prune — to trim
  8. hand — in cards
  9. pop — music
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. tear — from crying
  12. tear — to rip
  13. pop — soda
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. pop — to visit
  17. hand — help
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. tear — from crying
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. pitch — completely
  23. perch — the fish
  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