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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. prune — to trim
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. deal — to handle
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. fork — in a road
  10. pitch — completely
  11. game — a match
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. tear — from crying
  14. game — wild animals
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. tear — from crying
  18. tear — to rip
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. prune — to trim
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. cabinet — ministers

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