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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. prune — to trim
  3. swing — in golf
  4. pitch — completely
  5. sharp — clever
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. prune — to trim
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. track — a song
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. swing — music
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. mate — a friend
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. mate — a partner
  18. track — a path
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. swing — to play on
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. track — to keep track
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. pitcher — a jug

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