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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. object — an aim
  3. scale — in music
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. fall — to drop
  6. prune — to trim
  7. hand — in cards
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. prune — to trim
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. mine — for digging
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. hand — help
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. scale — size or range
  17. fall — the season
  18. fall — to drop
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. object — to protest
  22. pitch — completely
  23. rush — hurry
  24. mine — an explosive

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