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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. pitch — completely
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. mark — a grade
  5. cue — a signal
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. prune — to trim
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. clip — to cut
  13. clip — for paper
  14. prune — to trim
  15. clip — a video
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. cue — a hint
  18. mine — for digging
  19. mark — a trace
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. cue — for pool
  24. pitch — a sports field

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