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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. field — for sport
  3. content — the amount
  4. key — the most important part
  5. wound — an injury
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. key — for a lock
  8. key — in music
  9. prune — to trim
  10. wound — an injury
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. suit — in cards
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. suit — clothes
  16. bear — the animal
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. bear — the animal
  19. suit — to fit
  20. field — a subject
  21. pitch — completely
  22. prune — to trim
  23. field — farmland
  24. content — happy

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