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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. hand — in cards
  7. content — the amount
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. content — happy
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. prune — to trim
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. pitch — completely
  19. hand — help
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. prune — to trim
  24. lean — to bend

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