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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 120 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 drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. prune — to trim
  3. season — in sport
  4. prune — to trim
  5. pitch — completely
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. rash — a series
  8. kid — child
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. bound — obliged
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. rash — hasty
  16. bound — tied together
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. season — of the year
  20. scale — in music
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. kid — to tease
  23. bound — certain
  24. scale — size or range

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