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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. wake — a trail
  6. mark — a grade
  7. prune — to trim
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. can — a tin
  13. wound — an injury
  14. mark — a trace
  15. pitch — completely
  16. prune — to trim
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. can — to be able to
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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