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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  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. racket — a loud noise
  2. prune — to trim
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. snap — to click
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. board — to get on
  8. vault — a safe
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. hand — in cards
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. prune — to trim
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. hand — help
  17. board — a committee
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. pitch — completely
  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