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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. date — the fruit
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. mark — a trace
  6. field — for sport
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. pitch — completely
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. field — a subject
  12. season — in sport
  13. season — of the year
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. prune — to trim
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. field — farmland
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. prune — to trim
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. mark — a grade

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