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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. cell — in biology
  3. spring — the season
  4. season — of the year
  5. spring — a coil
  6. cell — a phone
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. snap — to click
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. pitch — completely
  12. season — in sport
  13. prune — to trim
  14. prune — to trim
  15. stock — goods
  16. spring — of water
  17. stock — shares
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. stock — a soup base

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